Plenty more gambling fraud could be on tap — especially at the college level.
Ex-NBA referee Tim Donaghy, who was formerly imprisoned for fixing games, called the NBA’s massive federal gambling busts 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 quick cash 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’re going to see maybe a more of a bigger scandal coming out of the college level, because you have these young athletes that aren’t going to make it to the next level, and somebody is going to offer them money to maybe fix a game and only win by 12 rather than 15 and they’re gonna take that money because they’re gonna need a way to support their families.”
NEW: Ex-NBA Ref Tim Donaghy Says the Real Scandal Is Coming
“I think this is just the tip of the iceberg… you’re going to see maybe a more of a bigger scandal coming out of the college level, because you have these young athletes that aren’t going to make it to the next level,… pic.twitter.com/PVN5OLsbKK
— UngaTheGreat (@UngaTheGreat) October 24, 2025
The former 13-year official has previously spoken about his gambling addiction, which sparked an FBI investigation in 2007 and led to his conviction for wire fraud and transmitting wagering information across state lines.
He reportedly earned $300,000 for providing betting tips to bookies.
Donaghy pleaded guilty, claiming he had been pressured into the scheme by the Gambino crime family, and served roughly 11 months of a 15-month sentence before his 2009 release.
FBI Director Kash Patel, who called Thursday’s charges “mind-boggling,” announced over 30 arrests, including associates from four New York mafia families, in the stunning gambling crackdown.
The arrests stemmed from a yearslong, 11-state investigation, Patel said.
One indictment targets a high-stakes illegal gambling ring accused of selling insider information to sports bettors, while the other focuses on allegedly rigged poker games, federal officials said.
The FBI has arrested 31 people involved in a rigged poker game ring backed by the New York City organized crime families.
- Ernest Aiello — reputed Bonanno mobster
- 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” Earnest
- Lee Fama — professional poker player
- John Gallo
- Marco Garzon
- Thomas “Tommy Juice” Gelardo — reputed Lucchese mobster charged in 2013 for beating porn star girlfriend
- Jamie Gilet
- Tony “Black Tony” Goodson
- Kenny Han
- Shane “Sugar” Henne
- 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 Ruggiero Jr.
- Anthony “Doc” Shnayderman
- Robert “Black Rob” Stroud
- Seth Trustman
- Sophia “Pookie” Wei
- Julius Ziliani
Billups faces charges in the illegal poker scheme, while Rozier’s charges link 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 in a shocking reversal.
