The mobster accused of recruiting former Boston Celtics players Chauncey Billups and Damon Jones into a sprawling gambling and poker conspiracy has been identified as Robert L. Stroud, a 67-year-old Louisville man with a violent criminal history, according to an ESPN report and court documents obtained by Heavy Sports.
“In 1994, Stroud killed a man during an evening playing cards and gambling at a home in Louisville,” WAVE News reported, cited by ESPN. “When Stroud was pulled over in 2001 for having expired tags, police found ‘sports betting cards, dice, playing cards, and what appeared to be gambling records’ in his back seat.”
Federal prosecutors say Stroud — known as “Black Rob” — was the key recruiter who lured Billups, Jones, and other former professional athletes into the organized-crime operation. According to a detention memo filed in federal court, “Stroud recruited former professional athletes, including defendants Billups and Damon Jones, into the conspiracy to lure wealthy victims into playing in the games. For their role as ‘Face Cards’ and members of the cheating teams, Stroud paid them a portion of the criminal proceeds.”
Stroud’s Role in Rigged Poker Operation
According to the indictment reviewed by Heavy Sports, Stroud was one of the suppliers of high-tech cheating devices used in rigged poker games, including modified shuffling machines and marked decks. Prosecutors allege Stroud even participated in an armed robbery to steal a specific model of the rigged shuffler from a victim identified as “John Doe #7.”
A September 2023 text message cited in court papers showed the close ties between Stroud and Jones. “I don’t know how much the job pays tomorrow, but can I get a 10k advance on it??” Jones texted Stroud, according to the ESPN report. “GOD really blessed me that u have action for me cause I needed it today bad.”
Authorities say Stroud’s network of “Face Card” recruits, including former NBA players, was used to attract wealthy targets to poker games secretly rigged with concealed technology and insider manipulation.
Billups, Rozier, and Jones Among 31 Charged
NBAFormer Boston Celtics player and current Portland Trailblazers head coach Chauncey Billups exits the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse after his arraignment on October 23, 2025 in Portland, Oregon.
Stroud, Billups, Jones, and former Celtics guard Terry Rozier were among 31 defendants indicted Thursday in what prosecutors describe as one of the largest sports-betting and organized-crime investigations in modern NBA history.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York unsealed two indictments outlining a far-reaching criminal enterprise that allegedly combined insider NBA access with wire fraud, money laundering, and high-stakes poker schemes that generated tens of millions of dollars in illegal profits between 2019 and 2025.
According to the Justice Department, the network used marked cards, X-ray-enabled tables, and rigged automatic shufflers to cheat during poker games held across several states. The group also allegedly laundered proceeds through cryptocurrency exchanges and shell corporations.
“The fraud is mind-boggling,” FBI Director Kash Patel said during a press briefing. “We’re talking about tens of millions of dollars in theft and deception — a criminal enterprise that connected the NBA to organized crime.”
Billups, Rozier, and Jones Face Federal Charges
Billups, who began his NBA career with the Celtics in 1997 and now serves as head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, was charged with wire fraud and money-laundering conspiracy. Prosecutors allege he lent his name and presence to “exclusive poker games” used to lure wealthy players, unaware the games were rigged. Billups was arrested in Oregon and placed on administrative leave by the Trail Blazers.
Rozier, a fan favorite in Boston from 2015 to 2019, faces sports-betting fraud and wire-fraud conspiracy charges. Investigators allege Rozier shared non-public information about his playing status with bettors, who used the tips to profit from prop wagers.
Court filings say Rozier told associates ahead of a January 2024 game that he would exit early due to a minor ankle injury, information that was not publicly disclosed. Bettors allegedly placed heavy wagers for Rozier to score under his projected total — a bet that hit when he left in the second quarter, earning the group roughly $250,000.
Jones, who briefly played for Boston during the 1998–99 season, faces charges of transmitting insider information for gambling purposes. Prosecutors allege he tipped off a bettor that LeBron James would sit out a February 2023 Lakers game before that information became public, and later provided similar details about Anthony Davis’ playing time in January 2024.
NBA Responds to Widening Scandal
The NBA confirmed Thursday that both Billups and Rozier were placed on immediate leave and said the league is cooperating fully with federal authorities.
“We are reviewing the federal indictments,” the league said in a statement. “Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups are being placed on immediate leave from their teams. The integrity of our game remains our top priority.”
For Celtics fans, the news hits home. Billups was Boston’s No. 3 overall pick in 1997, while Rozier, nicknamed “Scary Terry,” helped fuel the team’s 2018 playoff run. Jones, meanwhile, played briefly in Boston before later teaming up with LeBron James in Cleveland.
All three now face serious federal charges in what authorities are calling one of the most sweeping sports-betting and organized-crime cases ever tied to professional basketball.
Officials said more arrests may follow as investigators continue to trace links between professional athletes, criminal networks, and illegal gambling operations that exploited insider information for profit.
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