NBA Coach Chauncey Billups was one of the “Face Cards” used to attract whales to poker games in New York City that were not only illegal, but were rigged using an x-ray table, special contact lenses and decks, and shuffle machines that allowed the hosts to set the deck.

The Department of Justice says millions of dollars were scammed by the poker operation that included members of the Bonanno, Gambino, and Genovese organized crime families that make up the mob organization La Cosa Nostra.

“Using the allure of high-stakes winnings and the promise to play alongside well-known professional athletes, these defendants allegedly defrauded unwitting victims out of tens of millions of dollars and established a financial pipeline to La Cosa Nostra,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Raia in a press release.  “This alleged scheme wreaked havoc across the nation, exploiting the notoriety of some and the wallets of others to finance the Italian crime families. Our office maintains its aggressive pursuit of any Italian organized crime operating in our jurisdiction and will continue to stem all unlawful revenue streams fueling their illicit activity.”

And whenever the victims refused to pay up, they’d receive visits from members of the mob with names like “Matty the Wrestler,” “Spook,” “Albanian Bruce,” and “Juice.” And just like in the movies, the men used violence and intimidation to get their money.

Billups was one of two people connected with the NBA who were charged. He was the coach of the Portland Trailblazers until last week when the team suspended him, and is arguably the biggest name involved.

The feds called Billups and former Cleveland Cavalier and Miami Heat player Damon Jones “Face Cards” who acted as celebrities to bring in unsuspecting players to the games. Two of those games were in New York City, and were protected and allowed to run by the mafia, who, of course, took their cut.

According to the indictment, the scheme started as early as 2019. The co-conspirators allegedly ran straight poker games alongside of the games that were completely and severely compromised by technology used by cheaters straight out of a James Bond movie.

The cheaters even got their hands on an x-ray machine that was used to expose player’s cards from under the table. So not only were the players getting fleeced, but were also taking shots of cancer-inducing x-rays right to the groin.

The x-ray tables were only one way the players were allegedly skimming the valuable information.

Cameras in chip trays and tables, marked cards that could be read using specialized contact lenses, and hacked shuffle machines that could set the deck in any order were also utilized, says the DOJ.

The collected information would then be distributed to confederates in the game through cell phones. The Feds say that this information would go to the “quarterback” who was in the game, who’d then communicate a plan of attack through signals to their teammates.

In other words, the Feds say this was a highly-organized and well-funded operation that emptied the pockets of a bunch of rich, unsuspecting, and unnamed victims.

As this story gains more traction, it’s a good bet that more popular athletes will be named as “Face Cards.” The New York Post is reporting that recent NFL Hall of Fame inductee Antonio Gates is allegedly connected to a dirty game hosted by Curtis Meeks in Miami, who was one of the 31 people indicted on Thursday. He has not been charged.

The multi-year sting involved officers and agents from NYPD, Homeland Security, the New York Waterfront Commission, and the FBI.

“For years, these individuals allegedly hosted illegal poker games where they used sophisticated technology and enlisted current and former NBA players to cheat people out of millions of dollars,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.  “This complex scheme was so far reaching that it included members from four of the organized crime families, and when people refused to pay because they were cheated, these defendants did what organized crime has always done: they used threats, intimidation, and violence.”

The charges in the indictments are allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. And here are the defendants:

ERNEST AIELLO 
Age: 46
Wantagh, New York

NELSON ALVAREZ (also known as “Spanish g”)
Age: 53
Uniondale, New York

LOUIS APICELLA (also known as “Lou Ap”)
Age: 50
New Rochelle, New York

AMMAR AWAWDEH (also known as “Flapper Poker” and “Flappy”)
Age: 34
Brooklyn, New York

SAUL BECHER
Age: 45
Bronx, New York

CHAUNCEY BILLUPS
Age: 49
Lake Oswego, Oregon

MATTHEW DADDINO (also known as “Matty” and “The Wrestler”)
Age: 43
Franklin Square, New York

ERIC EARNEST (also known as “Spook”)
Age: 53
St. Louis, Missouri

LEE FAMA
Age: 57
Brooklyn, New York

JOHN GALLO
Age: 53
Brooklyn, New York

MARCO GARZON
Age: 39
Elizabeth, New Jersey

THOMAS GELARDO (also known as “Juice”)
Age: 42
Scarsdale, New York

JAMIE GILET
Age: 40
Jericho, New York

TONY GOODSON (also known as “Black Tony”)
Age: 52
Forsyth, Georgia

KENNY HAN
Age: 40
Queens, New York

SHANE HENNEN (also known as “Sugar”)
Age: 40
Las Vegas, Nevada

OSMAN HOTI (also known as “Albanian Bruce”) and “Big Bruce”)
Age: 44
Ridgefield Park, New Jersey

HORATIO HU (also known as “H”)
Age: 37
Queens, New York

ZHEN HU (also known as “Jonathan Chan,” “Jonathan Hu,” “Scruli,” and “Stanley”)
Age: 37
Brooklyn, New York

DAMON JONES (also known as “Dee Jones”)
Age: 49
Houston, Texas

JOSEPH LANNI
Age: 54
Staten Island, New York

JOHN MAZZOLA (also known as “John South”)
Age: 43
Gray, Georgia

CURTIS MEEKS (also known as “Curt”)
Age: 41
Elgin, Texas

NICHOLAS MINUCCI
Age: 39
East Northport, New York

MICHAEL RENZULLI
Age: 42
Islip, New York

ANGELO RUGGIERO, JR.
Age: 53
Howard Beach, New York

ANTHONY SHNAYDERMAN (also known as “Doc”)
Age: 39
Brooklyn, New York

ROBERT STROUD (also known as “Black Rob”)
Age: 67
Louisville, Kentucky

SETH TRUSTMAN
Age: 43
Queens, New York

SOPHIA WEI (also known as “Pookie”)
Age: 40
Queens, New York

JULIUS ZILIANI (also known as “Jay”
Age: 54
Wayne, New Jersey