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A man claiming to be a victim of a Texas jeweller connected to the NBA gambling scandal says he and his poker group were swindled out of nearly $1 million in a single night, but alleges the con involved a former NFL player rather than a basketball star. The anonymous victim told The New York Post that the experience left him "shell-shocked". "During the game, we were around a bunch of bad guys, and they were trying to suck every bit away from us. And they did. They did a good job," he said. The claim comes as prosecutors in New York charged 31 people in connection with a mob-linked poker cheating ring. FBI Director Kash Patel and prosecutors from the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York announced the arrests, which include Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier. According to court documents, the group allegedly used sophisticated technology, including rigged X-ray card tables, tampered shufflers, and earpieces, to fix high-stakes poker games. The scam's organisers reportedly referred to wealthy victims as "fish" and to celebrity participants who attracted them to games as "face cards." Also Read: How the La Cosa Nostra and Gambino Family Ran an NBA Gambling Ring The victim said he and his friends were invited to a private, high-stakes poker night through a "professional athlete", whom he described as a retired NFL player but declined to name. He added that the athlete had convinced them it was "a really solid group of people". The game took place in a high-rise apartment. The buy-in was raised from $10,000 to $20,000, and participants were issued chips on credit instead of paying in cash. "All the winning hands went to the four guys who were in on the scam," he said. "Those guys cheated with a device, and they used a star athlete to do it. The only reason they were able to pull this off was because they had a professional athlete in place." He claimed the group's ringleader was Curtis Meeks, a Texas-based jeweller and alleged supplier of the cheating equipment, who was named in the federal indictment. Also Read: These Games Are The Center Of NBA's Mafia Gambling Scandal "Meeks is the most despicable human I've ever been around in my entire life," the victim said. "The level he will go to get other people's money is just disgusting." Prosecutors have described Meeks as a "major supplier" of cheating devices to the ring. A gambling industry insider told The Post that Meeks "supposedly was an amateur boxer" who "went around telling people that he's a jeweller." The 31-person indictment also named several individuals with alleged mob ties, including Thomas "Tommy Juice" Gelardo, accused of collecting gambling debts through intimidation, and Nicholas "Fat Nick" Minucci, a Gambino crime family associate previously convicted in a 2005 hate-crime assault. The victim said his group realised too late that they were being manipulated, and that after the game they were pressured to pay what the organisers claimed they owed. "They wouldn't let up in trying to get their money. Serious threats were made," he said. "Ultimately, we just agreed to pay them." Although federal prosecutors have not confirmed any involvement of NFL players, the description of the alleged scam closely resembles the broader scheme outlined in recent indictments. A separate NBA-related investigation announced this week alleges insider betting on games involving the Los Angeles Lakers, Toronto Raptors, Charlotte Hornets, and Portland Trail Blazers. Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from US News and around the World.
