A supposed victim of a Texas jeweler caught up in the NBA cheating scandal says he and his poker crew were taken for almost $1 million in a single night — and that the hustlers had an ex-NFL player, not a hoops star, running point for the scam.
The jaw-dropping claim suggests the NBA gambling scandal might be far bigger than prosecutors have let on — and could even drag in stars from other sports.
"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, and I’m still shell-shocked to this day from that night," said a source who asked not to be named.
Prosecutors this week announced the arrests of 31 people tied to a massive mob-run poker scam that stretched far and wide.
FBI Director Kash Patel and prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York held a high-stakes briefing after Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry were named in the widening scandal.
He said the invite came for a private, high-stakes poker game with “a really solid group of people.” But, he added, “We never would’ve been there if it weren’t for the pro athlete.”
He wouldn’t name the athlete — only hinting that it was a former NFL player.
Up to now, the scandal has centered on NBA players and a head coach.
Prosecutors have named two pro basketball players in the sprawling poker scandal — a case that claims fraudsters and mobsters rigged high-stakes games with cutting-edge cheating tech, including X-ray card tables, tampered shufflers, and special glasses and contacts that could read marked cards, according to an indictment unsealed Thursday in Brooklyn federal court.
Basketball Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups and former NBA star Damon Jones have been named in the case.
The con artists nicknamed their deep-pocketed victims “fish,” while the high-profile athletes who drew them to the tables were called “face cards.”
Chauncey Billups, pictured at left, was allegedly paid to serve as a “face card,” drawing high-stakes players to the tables. Obtained
The anonymous “fish” couldn’t confirm whether his loss was tied to the same poker ring under federal investigation — but he did point to at least one man involved in both schemes.
He said Curtis Meeks of Texas — named in Thursday’s indictment as a key supplier of the cheating machines — played a central role in the rigged game that fleeced him and his friends out of nearly $1 million in a single night.
“Meeks is the most despicable human I’ve ever been around in my entire life,” the man said.
“The level he will go to get other people’s money is just disgusting. I’ve since found out that what he’s done to us, he’s done to many other people. This was not a freak occurrence,” the alleged victim said.
Prosecutors didn’t offer many details about Meeks. But a gambling insider said, “Meeks supposedly was an amateur boxer. He went around telling people he’s a jeweler — that was his schtick.”
The victim called Curtis Meeks “the most despicable human I’ve ever come across in my entire life.” Williamson County Sheriff's Office
He and 30 others were arrested in connection with the sprawling poker ring, in an indictment that also named a host of mob associates who have previously made headlines — including Thomas “Tommy Juice” Gelardo, accused of collecting gambling debts through threats and intimidation, and Nicholas “Fat Nick” Minucci, a Gambino crime family associate who was convicted in 2005 of beating a Black teenager with a baseball bat while shouting racial slurs.
Meeks did not have an attorney listed, and his family could not be reached for comment.
On the night Meeks allegedly took the Post source for a ride, he used a retired NFL player to lure the group into a situation that seemed sketchy from the start — but it wasn’t until they were deep into the game that they realized they were being scammed.
The pro athlete was supposed to join a game at a public venue, but the location was suddenly switched to his high-rise apartment, the man said.
The group allegedly used rigged X-ray card tables, tampered shufflers, and special glasses and contact lenses to cheat. US Attorney / EDNY
The alleged victim said there were other red flags, including the host suddenly doubling the buy-in from $10,000 to $20,000 once they were inside the apartment — meaning the victims could lose money twice as fast. They didn’t pay cash upfront; instead, they were given chips on credit, to be settled afterward.
And every winning hand went "to the four guys who were in on the scam,” he claimed.
“Those guys cheated with a device, and they cheated me and cheated other people who were good people. And they used a star athlete. They used the star to do it. They had us excited. The only reason they were able to pull this off was because they had a professional athlete in place,” the source said.
“We knew that it was a device because of how they would push. It wasn’t like a thing where they could see the backs of cards. It was like, let’s go all in before any cards even come out.”
One of the man’s friends spotted the scam and called out the group before leaving the apartment — but the mobsters responded with weeks of relentless demands for repayment.
“They wouldn’t let up in trying to get their money. It got scarier and scarier. Serious threats were made. Ultimately, we just agreed to pay them,” the victim explained.
The incident mirrors the scheme outlined by federal prosecutors this month, though the 31-defendant indictment doesn’t mention any NFL players or athletes from other leagues.
Neither the NFL nor the Eastern District of New York immediately responded to The Post’s request for comment.
A second NBA-related indictment this week targets an illegal sports gambling ring that allegedly used insider information to place bets on games involving the Los Angeles Lakers, Toronto Raptors, Charlotte Hornets, and Portland Trail Blazers and their players.
While the poker scam cost him and his friends nearly $1 million, the man says the true price was his “trust in the game.”
“Moving forward is the real punishment. Because there’s a paranoia now. There’s a constant turn in my mind: Something is happening. Considering how sophisticated AI has been and how sophisticated they are, that’s scary to me. I’ve been around so long, playing poker, and I am fine with losing, but I have no tolerance for cheating,” he said.
