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The Claim: The NBA’s 2025 gambling scandal is directly connected to organized crime, involving multiple New York Mafia families orchestrating illegal betting schemes with current and former league figures. On October 23, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York issued an official Department of Justice press release that detailed two extensive indictments — the first and the second. These indictments targeted a total of 31 defendants, among them NBA personnel and affiliates linked to five prominent New York organized crime families. According to the DOJ, at the core of the investigation was a clandestine network engaged in underground sports betting operations and illicit poker games, which reportedly extended into professional basketball circles. The investigation uncovered startling allegations: NBA insiders allegedly collaborated with known figures tied to organized crime to manipulate bets and influence game outcomes. Among those arrested were Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, and former Cleveland Cavaliers assistant Damon Jones. All are accused of using sensitive team information to facilitate and profit from the illegal wagering schemes. ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad The indictments describe a pattern of criminal coordination whereby organized crime families purportedly financed, enforced, and extorted through threats and violence to manage mounting gambling debts. The federal investigators’ statements emphasized that this criminal network operated across multiple states, exploiting social and financial ties between basketball insiders and mob-linked bettors. On October 23, 2025, FBI Director Kash Patel led a major press conference in New York City announcing a nationwide sting operation. This operation resulted in the arrests of NBA figures and members of organized crime families, all facing charges such as illegal sports betting, rigging poker games, wire fraud, and extortion. The event featured Patel alongside other federal officials, including U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella. They described in detail the scope of the investigation and its deep ties to La Cosa Nostra and the major New York mafia families. ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad As of the final week of October 2025, the investigation remains active and continues to develop. The chain of events is being reported by outlets such as The New York Times and USA Today. The indictments, which include members and associates of the Gambino, Bonanno, Lucchese, and Genovese families, have initiated a sweeping prosecutorial process. Many accused NBA figures and affiliates are either under arrest or under active investigation. The FBI’s New York office, through Assistant Director Christopher Raia and subsequent official statements from the DOJ from its press conference, clarified that the criminal enterprise has established a substantial financial pipeline for La Cosa Nostra. Rigged games generated millions of dollars, which were funneled directly into organized crime activities. Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports How Are the Families Linked to the Mafia? The involved families belong to the well-known Five Families of New York, officially recognized by federal law enforcement as core Mafia organizations. This group comprises the: ADVERTISEMENT Article continues below this ad Bonanno Crime Family Colombo Crime Family Gambino Crime Family Genovese Crime Family Lucchese Crime Family These five entities constitute the backbone of the Italian-American Mafia, also referred to as La Cosa Nostra. The FBI’s official Mafia Family Tree PDF provides a detailed view of the hierarchical structure of these organizations—bosses (or dons), underbosses, consigliere (advisors), capos (captains), soldiers (made men), and associates. Membership involves an oath of silence known as omertà, which enforces secrecy and loyalty within the organization. The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) defines La Cosa Nostra as a collection of Italian-American organized crime families engaged in a broad range of illicit activities, including extortion, racketeering, loan sharking, and illegal gambling. The NIJ report emphasizes their strict hierarchical structure, use of violence, and secret codes, primarily to maintain dominance and control over their criminal enterprises. The FBI actively monitors and categorizes these groups, recognizing the Five Families as the primary institutions controlling a significant portion of illicit activity, not only in New York but beyond. Their extensive documentation of the organizations’ history, structure, and operational methods is available in the FBI’s public records on organized crime. Our Rating: TRUE The 2025 NBA gambling scandal’s direct links to organized crime affiliated with New York’s notorious Mafia “Five Families” is strongly backed by federal authorities. The National Institute of Justice’s report defines La Cosa Nostra (the Mafia) as a tightly organized network of Italian-American crime families involved in major criminal enterprises including illegal gambling, extortion, and racketeering, operating with secrecy, codes of loyalty, and violence NIJ Report on La Cosa Nostra. The FBI recognizes the Bonanno, Colombo, Gambino, Genovese, and Lucchese families as the Mafia backbone in New York, detailing their structure and criminal activities in the Mafia Family Tree. The Department of Justice’s indictments specifically name members and associates of these families as participants in the NBA gambling scandal, orchestrating rigged poker games and illegal betting with NBA insiders, establishing a multi-million-dollar financial pipeline for La Cosa Nostra through intimidation and extortion DOJ Press Release. These official documents and federal investigations, supported by major news reporting, confirm that the Mafia’s involvement in the NBA scandal is accurate and part of a well-documented pattern of organized crime’s long-standing control over illicit gambling. This makes clear the claim’s authenticity, grounded in authoritative legal and law enforcement sources. Our Fact-Checking Sources:
