Kash Patel fires back at Stephen A Smith over claim Donald Trump is behind NBA mafia gambling probe

Kash Patel has scolded Stephen A Smith after the ESPN star suggested the FBI's investigation into Mafia-led illegal sports betting and rigged poker games is politically motivated and backed by President Trump.

The NBA was shaken to its core on Thursday after Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier were arrested along with more than 30 other people.

Rozier is accused of participating in an illegal sports betting scheme, while Billups is charged in a separate indictment relating to an alleged scheme to rig underground poker games that were backed by Mafia families.

Speaking on his morning show 'First Take,' while Patel gave a press conference, Smith claimed the investigation was fueled by Trump and his thirst for revenge.

But later on Thursday, Patel hit back with a brutal put-down of the ESPN host.  He told Fox News: 'I'm the FBI director. I decide which arrests to conduct and which not to conduct. 

'That may be the single dumbest thing I've ever heard out of anyone in modern history and I live most of my time in Washington DC.'

Smith, who has flirted with a run for the White House, earlier suggested this investigation was the latest evidence that 'Trump is coming.'

The 'First Take' host claimed: 'Bad Bunny is performing at the Super Bowl and all of a sudden you're hearing ICE is going to be there looking to engage in mass deportations. 

'The Super Bowl, disrupting things. Big night for the NBA, (Victor) Wembanyama put on a show... that has now been smeared because we're talking about this story.

'Don't be surprised if the WNBA is next on his list. When you've got all these protests going on out there, protesting against him... this man is coming, he's coming. I've been saying it for a long time.

'For me, this is the latest nugget of evidence. That's not to question the legitimacy of the case, we don't know. 

'But anybody that has been around him, anybody that has talked to him and seen his reactions, from the sports leagues... they are not surprised at what's going on today.

'I'm watching a press conference with the Director of the FBI, tell me when we've seen that? It's not coincidental, it's not an accident, it's a statement... and it's a warning that more is coming.

'In his eyes, folks tried to throw him in jail. In his eyes, he's innocent and "they tried to put me behind bars. I'm getting everybody." He's not playing. Everybody better brace themselves, because he's coming.'

His comments sparked a backlash on social media, with users pointing out that the FBI investigation began well before Trump started his second term in the White House. 

Others accused Smith of 'intentionally making a provocative statement he knows is misleading.' They claimed: 'You'd have to live under a rock or be dumb as dirt to believe what he just said. TDS (Trump derangement syndrome) is a real thing.'

Six defendants are accused of participating in an insider sports betting conspiracy that exploited confidential information about NBA athletes and teams, said Joseph Nocella, the US attorney for the Eastern District of New York.

He called it 'one of the most brazen sports corruption schemes since online sports betting became widely legalized in the United States.'

The second case involves 31 defendants and relates to an alleged nationwide scheme to rig illegal poker games, Nocella said. The defendants include former professional athletes accused of using technology to steal millions of dollars in underground poker games that were backed by Mafia families, he said.

In the sports betting scheme, players sometimes altered their performance or took themselves out of games early, New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.

In one instance, Rozier, while playing for the Hornets, told people he was planning to leave the game early with a 'supposed injury,' allowing them to place wagers that raked in thousands of dollars, Tisch said.

Later on Thursday, Rozier was pictured leaving a federal court in Orlando, Florida. He headed out through a side door, having been released from custody.

The 31-year-old wore black and red sneakers, multi-colored shorts and a black Hornets hoodie as he climbed into the back of a black car, while his mother - Gina Tucker - and attorney - James Trusty - were also pictured at the courthouse. 

Billups appeared in court later on Thursday. Both men face money laundering and wire fraud conspiracy charges.

According to NBC, Rozier walked out of court on Thursday after a judge denied prosecutors' request to set a $10million bond. The NBA star was instead required to put up only his $6m Florida home as collateral. 

He must also surrender his passport by Friday afternoon, reports claim, while the judge ordered Rozier not to gamble either in person on online. He is due back in court in Brooklyn in December. 

Billups was later seen walking out of a federal courthouse in Portland after his initial hearing into the alleged Mafia-led gambling ring.

The poker scheme is said to be tied to the Gambino, Bonanno and Genovese crime families, and saw rigged games take place in Manhattan, the Hamptons and Las Vegas.

It is alleged that New York's notorious crime families would use X-ray tables to tilt games in their favor and wear special high-tech contact lenses to read pre-marked cards.

According to KGW and NBC, Billups - who wore a brown hoodie - did not enter a plea and was released on certain conditions. They include restrictions on travel and no gambling activity.

Shortly after, ex-Cleveland Cavaliers player Damon Jones appeared in court in Las Vegas. Jones, 49, is alleged to have been involved in the two separate, but related, illegal betting operations. He is accused of providing inside information about NBA games to co-defendants who are said to have used it to place sports bets.

He was also named among 31 individuals allegedly involved in the illegal poker ring - which is said to have used NBA stars as 'face cards' to lure victims to the table. 

Jones played for 10 NBA teams over an 11-year career from 1998 to 2009 and was a Cavaliers assistant from 2016 to 2018.