Much more gambling fraud could occur, especially at the university level.
Ex-NBA referee Tim Donaghy, who was previously jailed for fixing games, called the NBA’s massive federal gambling raids involving Trail Blazers coach and Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups, Heat guard Terry Rozier and ex-Cavs player and assistant Damon Jones just “the tip of the iceberg,” saying student athletes are likely throwing games to make a quick buck. earn and support themselves.
“I think this is just the tip of the iceberg,” Donaghy said Thursday during an appearance on NewsNation’s “Cuomo” with Chris Cuomo.
“You may see a bigger scandal come at the college level because you have young athletes who aren’t going to make it to the next level, and someone is going to offer them money to maybe fix a game and not win until they’re 12 instead of 15, and they’re going to take that money because they need a way to support their families.”
The former 13-year official has previously spoken about his gambling addiction, which prompted an FBI investigation in 2007 and led to his conviction for bank fraud and passing betting information across state lines.
He reportedly made $300,000 for giving betting tips to bookmakers.
Donaghy pleaded guilty, claiming he had been pressured by the Gambino crime family, and had served about 11 months of a 15-month prison sentence before being released in 2009.
FBI Director Kash Patel, who called Thursday’s allegations “stunning,” announced more than 30 arrests, including associates of four New York mafia families, in the stunning crackdown on gambling.
The arrests were the result of a years-long investigation in 11 states, Patel said.
One indictment targets an illegal high-stakes gambling ring accused of selling insider information to sports gamblers, while the other focuses on allegedly rigged poker games, federal officials said.
The FBI has arrested 31 people involved in a rigged poker gaming ring backed by New York City’s organized crime families.
- Ernest Aiello – reputed Bonanno gangster
- Nelson “Spanish G” Alvarez
- Louis “Lou Ap” Apicella
- Ammar “Flapper Poker” Awawdeh
- Saul Becher – professional poker player
- Chauncey Billups – Portland Trail Blazers coach, NBA Hall of Famer and 2004 NBA Champion
- Matthew “The Wrestler” Daddino
- Eric ‘Spooky’ Serious
- Lee Fama – professional poker player
- Johannes Gallo
- Marco Garzon
- Thomas “Tommy Juice” Gelardo – reputed Lucchese gangster charged in 2013 for beating a porn star girlfriend
- Jamie Gilet
- Tony ‘Black Tony’ Goodson
- Kenny Han
- Shane “Sugar” Hair
- Osman “Albanian Bruce” Hoti
- Horatio Hu
- Zhen “Scruli” Hu
- Damon “Dee Jones” Jones – NBA player from 1998 to 2009
- Joseph Lanni
- John “John South” Mazzola
- Curtis Meeks
- Nicholas Minucci
- Michael Renzulli
- Anthony Ruggero Jr.
- Anthony “Doc” Shnayderman
- Robert ‘Black Rob’ Stroud
- Seth Trustman
- Sophia “Pookie” Wei
- Julius Ziliani
Billups faces illegal poker fraud charges, while Rozier’s charges are related to the sports betting investigation involving alleged prop bet manipulation.
Jones appears in both cases.
Donaghy’s comments come ahead of the Nov. 1 start of college athletes being allowed to bet on professional sports, which is a shocking reversal.
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