Justice Department expects to extend plea deals to 12 in NBA-Mafia rigged poker case

Justice Department expects to extend plea deals to 12 in NBA-Mafia rigged poker case The government did not specify which defendants are poised to receive a plea deal. An NBA game ball at Little Caesars Arena in 2025 in Detroit. Nic Antaya / Getty Images Share Add NBC News to Google March 4, 2026, 8:12 PM EST By Chloe Atkins and Tom Winter Listen to this article with a free account 00:00 00:00 Federal prosecutors are expected to extend plea deals to a dozen defendants in the sprawling, mob-linked poker case that led to charges against an NBA Hall of Famer and a former NBA player, according to a court document filed Tuesday. The government, however, did not specify in the brief filed ahead of a Wednesday status conference, which of the defendants are poised to receive a plea deal. Prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York indicted over 30 people in two illegal gambling cases last year: one involving the rigging of poker games allegedly backed by the Mafia, and the second using nonpublic information to place bets on several NBA games. Among those charged in the cases are members and associates of four major Mafia crime families, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, and ex-NBA player Damon Jones. Well-known former professional athletes known as “face cards” participated in the scheme and were used to lure wealthy victims to the fixed games, according to the indictment. Prosecutors said the “face cards,” Billups and Jones, were part of the “cheating teams” and “received a portion of the criminal proceeds in exchange for their participation.” On Tuesday, prosecutors told U.S. District Judge Ramon Reyes, who is presiding over the high-stakes poker case, that the government "expects to extend formal plea agreements" to nearly half of the defendants charged in the case in the coming days, according to the Tuesday filing. The government had "productive conversations with counsel for at least nine other defendants," and it i...