A sophisticated poker cheating ring backed by organized crime and a sports betting scheme involving insider information from NBA coaches and players relied on high-tech tools that tapped into some old time scams.

Portland Trail Blazers coach and Hall of Fame player Chauncey Billups faces charges for allegedly participating in a conspiracy to fix high-stakes poker games connected to La Cosa Nostra organized crime families. Former NBA assistant coach and player Damon Jones was also charged in connection with the poker operation.

The illegal games operated in upscale Manhattan locations with names like “The Lexington Avenue Game,” where wealthy victims called “fish” by operators were lured by the promise of playing Texas Hold ’em alongside professional athletes and coaches, referred to as “face cards.”

According to the unsealed indictment, victims typically lost tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars to the scheme, unaware the games were rigged.

While authorities described the tactics as “high-tech,” the underlying con techniques date back to classic gambling fraud, resembling scenarios from heist films.

The primary method involved modified shuffling machines that could determine the exact order of cards after shuffling and identify each player’s hand. This information was wirelessly transmitted to an off-site accomplice, who then relayed details about the winning hand to a designated player at the table known as “the quarterback.”

The quarterback used traditional signals such as touching specific chips to communicate with fellow conspirators, who would then bet accordingly.

Prosecutors say the operation also employed additional technology, including X-ray tables capable of identifying face-down cards from beneath; hidden cameras built into chip trays to detect cards; and specialized contact lenses and glasses designed to see invisible marks on cards.

Winning conspirators shared their profits with game operators. Victims were often instructed to wire funds to shell companies used for money laundering purposes.

When victims failed to pay debts, organizers allegedly resorted to violence. Authorities say two game operators physically assaulted one cheated player to extract payment, while others used robbery and extortion tactics.

Jones also faces charges in a distinct operation involving the exploitation of insider information about NBA players to place winning bets on games, though prosecutors provided limited details about this scheme.

The 22-page federal indictment unsealed Thursday exposes an elaborate fraud operation that targeted wealthy gamblers who were promised the chance to play poker with NBA celebrities, only to fall victim to sophisticated cheating technology. The investigation highlights the intersection of professional sports, organized crime, and increasingly sophisticated fraud technology in illegal gambling operations.

The scheme’s centerpiece involved modified card-shuffling machines equipped with hidden technology capable of reading entire decks and predicting which player held the strongest hand. This data was transmitted electronically to an off-site operator, who relayed the information via cell phone to a member of the cheating team known as the “quarterback” or “driver.” The quarterback then used covert signals to share the intelligence with accomplices at the table.

Prosecutors say the operation deployed multiple cheating methods, including electronic poker chip trays that could secretly scan cards placed on the table and card analyzers disguised as ordinary cell phones that detected which cards had been dealt.

The conspirators also used marked playing cards visible only to team members wearing specially designed contact lenses or sunglasses.

According to the indictment, the illegal poker games were controlled by associates of four New York organized crime families: the Bonanno, Gambino, Lucchese and Genovese families. These criminal organizations took a percentage of the profits from the rigged games.

The families allegedly employed extortion, robbery and intimidation tactics to collect debts from players and laundered the proceeds through cryptocurrency and other methods.

The investigation represents one of the most technologically sophisticated gambling fraud cases to emerge from federal prosecutors in recent years.