The Whitsdom Press

Tag: scandal

  • The Betting Scandal that Rocked the NBA

    This story is a wake-up call: when money, fame and insider access mix, the risk of abuse rises. For fans and casual observers, it underscores that what happens off the court can matter just as much as what happens on it. Trust is the most fragile part of sports, and when it cracks, the whole game takes a hit.

    The world of professional basketball is stunned. On October 23 and 24 2025, federal authorities unveiled one of the largest gambling/organized-crime investigations ever tied to a major U.S. sports league. More than 30 individuals have been indicted in two overlapping schemes involving illegal poker games and sports betting, and some of those charged are high-profile figures from the NBA.

    The Two Schemes

    1. Rigged Poker Games

    One investigation focuses on underground poker meetings in cities like Manhattan, Las Vegas, Miami and the Hamptons. These games were allegedly manipulated using technology such as x-ray tables, rigged shuffling machines and hidden cameras. The games are said to have been backed by major New York crime families—Bonanno crime family, Gambino crime family, Genovese crime family and Lucchese crime family. Victims entered thinking they were playing celebrity-backed games, but were actually set up to lose millions.

    2. Illegal Sports Betting Inside the NBA

    The other investigation involves sports betting—specifically, players or insiders allegedly sharing non-public information about upcoming games. In one case, a player is accused of alerting associates he would leave a game early, which allowed bettors to win big by wagering on his “under” props (statistical benchmarks he would not hit). This raises serious questions about league integrity and insider abuses.

    Timeline of Events

    March 23, 2023
    An unusual surge of bets around Terry Rozier’s performance occurred ahead of a game between the Charlotte Hornets and the New Orleans Pelicans. Among those bets: wagers on Rozier under-performing. He played only less than 10 minutes and scored poorly that night, later exiting with a foot injury — despite averaging far more previously.
    January 2024
    Rozier was traded to the Miami Heat. Around this time reports surfaced that he was under federal investigation in relation to betting-and insider-info allegations.
    February 9, 2023 and January 15, 2024
    Allegations say former NBA player/coach Damon Jones provided nonpublic information (such as pre-release medical info of players) about upcoming games (for example, involving the Los Angeles Lakers) to associates who placed bets accordingly.
    March 2023
    An associate allegedly informed bettors that several players of the Portland Trail Blazers would sit out a game. The co-conspirators allegedly placed bets based on that information.
    October 23, 2025
    Federal authorities publicly announced indictments in two main schemes:

    • One scheme involves illegal sports betting using insider information from NBA players/coaches.
    • The other involves rigged high-stakes illegal poker games tied to organized-crime families (e.g., Gambino crime family, Bonanno crime family, Genovese crime family) using hidden technology (x-ray tables, special glasses, rigged shufflers) to cheat victims.
      That day arrests were made of current or former NBA figures including Rozier, Billups and Jones.
      October 24, 2025
      The scandal spurred responses from Congress and sports leagues, with calls for tighter regulation of sports betting, and investigations into the internal policies of the NBA.

    Who’s Involved?

    • Chauncey Billups: Hall-of-Fame NBA player turned head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers. He is implicated in the rigged poker game ring.
    • Terry Rozier: A guard for the Miami Heat, accused of tipping insiders off about his playing time and other non-public game details for betting purposes
    • Damon Jones: Former NBA player and coach, also charged in one or both of the schemes.
    • Organized crime families: Multiple New York mafia families allegedly backed the rigged poker games and profited from them.

    Why It Matters

    • Integrity of the Game: Sports rely on competition being fair. When players, coaches or insiders manipulate or profit from inside info, it erodes trust in outcomes.
    • Legal & Regulatory Risks: With legal sports betting now widespread in many states, this case shows how vulnerable leagues are if oversight is weak.
    • Organized Crime Link: The involvement of mafia-style operations and high-tech cheating shows this isn’t just casual gambling—it’s planned, high-stakes fraud.
    • Reputational Damage: The NBA, its sponsors and fans will all feel the impact. Public perception of the sport may suffer.

    What Happens Next?

    • Legal proceedings: The defendants will appear in federal court and face charges such as wire fraud, money laundering and conspiracy.
    • NBA response: The league says it will cooperate with authorities, review its internal policies and possibly tighten rules around betting and gambling disclosures.
    • Industry impact: This case may lead to stricter regulations on sports betting, more oversight of player behaviour, and extra safeguards by leagues and gambling operators.

    Read the official press release from the Department of Justice.

  • Houston ISD Fraud: The $6 Million Scandal Uncovered

    Imagine millions of dollars meant for school repairs, classrooms, and playgrounds vanishing into the pockets of corrupt officials. That’s exactly what happened in Houston, where a jaw-dropping fraud scheme involving a top school administrator and a contractor just ended with guilty verdicts. After a dramatic four-week trial, Brian Busby, the former Chief Operating Officer of Houston ISD (HISD), and Anthony Hutchison, a contractor, were convicted of 33 federal charges, including bribery, wire fraud, and witness tampering. Let’s break down how they pulled off this nine-year heist—and how they got caught.

    The Players: Who’s Who in the Scandal

    Houston ISD Landscaping Contractor
    Former Houston ISD Chief Operating Officer
    Rhonda Skillern Jones, former Houston ISD Board Trustee
    • Brian Busby: The man in charge of HISD’s $260 million budget and 7,000 employees. He was supposed to ensure taxpayer money went to schools—but instead, he allegedly pocketed cash and even got free home renovations. His salary at the time was over $150,000/year while working for the district.
    • Anthony Hutchison: A contractor whose companies, Southwest Wholesale and Just Construction, scored lucrative HISD contracts. Prosecutors say he overbilled the district by millions and paid bribes to keep the scheme alive.
    • The “Bribe Squad”: Five former HISD officials admitted to taking bribes and testified against Busby and Hutchison. Their roles?
      • Rhonda Skillern-Jones: Former HISD Board of Education president, caught accepting $12,000 in a Walmart parking lot.
      • Derrick Sanders: Officer of Construction Services, pressured to approve Hutchison’s inflated bids.
      • Alfred Hoskins: General Manager of Facilities, Maintenance, and Operations, who greenlit unnecessary projects.
      • Gerron Hall and Luis Tovar: Area Managers for Maintenance (South and North), who allegedly rubber-stamped Hutchison’s work in exchange for cash.

    The Scheme: Cash, Contracts, and Cover-Ups
    This wasn’t just a few under-the-table deals. The scam ran like a well-oiled machine:

    1. Rigged Contracts: Busby strong-armed HISD staff to award Hutchison’s companies projects, bypassing competitive bidding. After Hurricane Harvey, Hutchison scored even bigger contracts for repairs.
    2. Bribes in Parking Lots: Skillern-Jones testified that Busby handed her $12,000 in cash in a Walmart parking lot after Hutchison’s company completed two school projects.
    3. Lavish Trips and Gambling: Some officials received bribes during wild Vegas getaways. One witness recalled Hutchison yelling “next!” to signal it was Busby’s turn for a cash payout.
    4. Overbilling Bonanza: Hutchison’s companies charged HISD double for supplies like lawn care and construction materials, pocketing over $6 million in fraudulent charges.
    5. Tax Tricks: Busby deposited nearly $3 million in unexplained cash into 18 bank accounts. Hutchison wrote fake checks to cover bribes and gambling debts, then lied on his taxes.

    Gerry Monroe, a community activist from Houston’s Third Ward, was known as The Five Star General on social media and YouTube before he passed in 2024. He has been discussing the buildup for years. Here is a video from three years ago. It covers the wire Rhonda Skillern Jones was wearing while collecting the bribe money.

    The Cover-Up: “Just Say It Was for Gambling!”
    When the FBI started investigating in 2018, Busby and Hutchison panicked. They pressured witnesses to lie, telling one official to claim a damning handwritten ledger (detailing bribes) was just “gambling notes”. But the evidence was overwhelming:

    • The Ledger: Found in Hutchison’s home, it listed every bribe payment and project.
    • Text Messages and Bank Records: Showed a trail of cash deposits, fake invoices, and cozy communication between the duo.

    The Fallout: What Happens Now?

    U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen presided over the trial and has set sentencing for July 28. At that time, Busby and Hutchison face up to five, 10 and 20 years, respectively, for the conspiracy, bribery and witness tampering charges. Hutchison also faces up to 20 years for each count of wire fraud. All charges also carry a $250,000 maximum possible fine. Skillern-Jones, 39, Houston; Sanders, 50, Hoskins, 58, Hall, 48, all of Missouri City; and Tovar, 39, Huffman have pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charges. They face up to five years in prison. — U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Texas

    U.S. Attorney Nicholas Ganjei called the scheme a “betrayal” of Houston’s students, while the FBI vowed to root out corruption. HISD is Texas’s largest school district, serving predominantly low-income students. Every dollar diverted to luxury trips or home renovations meant fewer resources for classrooms, teachers, and kids. The trial had more than 50 witnesses. There was a mountain of evidence, from Vegas selfies to parking lot cash drops. All of this revealed a picture of greed that’s so bold it’s unbelievable.

  • Natalie Nunn's Cheating Allegations: Untangling the Rumors

    Natalie Nunn, the reality star known for her fiery personality on shows like “Bad Girls Club” and “Baddies” found herself in the headlines once again on March 4, 2024 for alleged infidelity. On her Instagram live, Natalie FINALLY admitted that she and Bad Boys LA cast member Curtis Golden were a THING! She says she didn’t cheat on her husband Jacob because they were on a break and co-parenting well. She went on to say she decided to tell it because Curtis was extorting her for more material items and money.

    Click here for the full video on BadBtchTea IG

    So Natalie goes live on IG to address it then goes live again showing off watches, shoes, purses, etc. This is after Stunna Girl, Bay Area rapper and former cast member of Baddies (West), leaked a video of Natalie and Curtis’s special moments together. Let’s go back down memory lane.

    The London Affair, 2018-2019

     

    Natalie joins the Big Brother UK Season 22 cast, along with notable international names like the late Kirstie Alley, and other reality stars in the UK. Two castmates, Dan Osborne and Chloe Ayling, and Natalie allegedly had a threesome in 2019, all while Natalie was deep in her marriage with Jacob Payne. While these were accusations and allegations, Natalie posted a picture of her and Jacob on their anniversary with somewhat of an apology post (see above). Why the apology if the rumors weren’t true? 😒 (By the way, Big Brother UK 22 was a great season!)

    OnlyFans During Quarantine, 2020-2021
    In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Natalie Nunn, like many others, saw a shift in her professional opportunities. With entertainment industries largely on hold, Nunn turned to OnlyFans as a platform to connect with fans and generate income. OnlyFans offers content creators the ability to generate income directly from their fan base through subscriptions and paid content; except during the pandemic, many porn stars generated lots of income with their OnlyFans channels. In Natalie’s case, she chose to go THAT route and has many salacious pictures and videos. She even went live a few times having threesomes with women. (That I have seen for myself and will not post the video.) Baddies cast member, Scotlynd “Scotty” Ryan was also in videos with Natalie doing some naughty things. Natalie’s presence on OnlyFans (and Tory Lanez’ Quarantine IG show) increased public awareness of her and potentially the “Baddies” franchise overall. Baddies started as Bad Bitch Reunion on OnlyFans with Bad Girls Club alums Rocky, Shannon, Sarah (executive producer and brains behind the show), and Jada. Later, the project was picked up by Zeus Network and “Baddies” was born. We will briefly discuss Lemuel Plummer, Zeus Network CEO, in a few.
     
    She Likes the Bad Boyz, 2022-Present

    Rapper Fivio Foreign also claimed on a podcast that Natalie Nunn was cheating on her husband with his friend, Louis Paso. Fivio alleged Paso used his connection to him to gain favor with Natalie. She replied on her IG story refuting the claims and asserted that Louis Paso is simply mentoring her in her pursuit of a rap career. 🤦‍♀️

    Previously, leaked videos allegedly showed her engaging in extramarital activities with another reality TV personality, Curtis Golden. These videos, combined with long-standing rumors about Nunn and Payne having an open or polyamorous relationship, further muddied the waters. Curtis was everywhere! Many reality TV stars within the Zeus Network have stated that Curtis is Natalie’s boy-toy, she’s never with her husband Jacob, and she is Curtis’ “sugar mama.”

    This is the video Stunna Girl leaked that made Natalie Nunn go live on Instagram.

    Stunna Girl leaked an audio in regards to Natalie and Lemmy messing around. Yes, the CEO…her boss…Executive Producer of Baddies….married to Janiesha…YES, HIM. You listen and tell me what you think.

    My Thoughts

    Natalie, I think you jumped off the porch too fast on this one by going live on Instagram explaining to the masses and pretty much confirming all rumors about you and Curtis. Yes, I get it that you were his sugar mama and he was your sidepiece. I get that you and Jacob were on a break at the time, he knows everything and (so you say) your marriage is fine — and made clear that it is NOT an open marriage. However, when you mentioned in your IG live that Curtis was scheduled to do an interview on No Jumper, I immediately saw this as a “let me save face and tell everything so no one can tell my story.” I personally do not think Jacob isn’t going anywhere, but you got a daughter, sis. Sure, all of this money can sustain her, but what about the reputation? I think you should have kept your mouth shut, talked to your lawyers on the backend, and let them do your thing (if it is worth the headache). If you and your husband have an understanding and your home is good, then explaining everything to the masses was a bad move.

    Stay tuned for more drama with real rich people…

     

  • Trouble in the Valley

    The content provides a detailed account of recent events and perspectives related to sexual abuse allegations at the university, whom shall remain anonymous. It offers a balanced view of different reactions to the situation. In light of the recent Katt Williams’ amazing and explosive interview with Shannon Sharpe, people have been coming out of the woodworks speaking on their experiences of long-term sexual abuse, misconduct, and more. To some, it is “clout-chasing” and to others it is “raising and bringing awareness.”

    On January 6th, an alum of a Mississippi HBCU who goes by “Dee Bee” posted on his Facebook account, “____ ____ was the ‘Diddy’ of valley, you gotta tell ____ no.” Within the 318 comments, there were plenty of laughing emojis, gif reactions, some shocked emojis, a few who agreed, and some who told him to not even bother with explaining. One person commented, “He’s not the only one either.”

    But “Dee Bee” went to YouTube with a video telling his thoughts regarding his Facebook post and his personal experiences with sexual advances made towards him and others while attending the university. “Dee Bee” starts off his video with “the (Facebook) post was long overdue in my eyes” and “this is really about people coming forth and telling their truth and telling their side…there’s been so many different times that people had to be quiet (or) things had to be swept under the rug.” He told a story about a young man joining a fraternity on campus, and was later approached at his dorm by his mentor asking “now that you got your paperwork…now that you are one of us, what are you going to do for me?”

    Dee Bee goes on to say that when he was a student at the HBCU, there weren’t people around to advocate for students in situations resulting to sexual harassment. He along with many other students were from out of town, so they had to form their own community and stick up for one another. Dee Bee recalled a few other stories of students who were (allegedly) sexually harassed and assaulted, and prominent staff members either knew or participated. He felt the “gatekeepers” of the university failed the students by providing zero safety or the confidence to report such incidents. At the end of the video, he encouraged his viewers to come forward with their stories.

    The comments of Dee Bee’s video was a mixed bag. One viewer gave her appreciation of “all of these factual points to light” and finishes her comment with stating people on campus misused their positions for sexual gain and if it isn’t discusses it will continue. Another viewer, KB, commented twice; first asking how does this video help the university. His first comment goes on to say, “Sounds just like a person who wants to feel important because these alleged stories is all he got.” Under that comment, people came to Dee Bee’s defense validating what he said. One respondent said, “It will help future students who are violated and harassed while trying to get a college education and join organizations. It ain’t right.” KB comments again asking Dee Bee how he cares about Valley but tear it down without regards to how this could affect enrollment. He goes on to say, “You let that Katt Williams interview trigger your own dislike for Valley.”

    Dee Bee’s video has hit 1,185 views and counting. More people are coming to Dee Bee’s original Facebook post and video repost saying they are proud of him for coming forward. In my opinion, Dee Bee did what needed to be done. Exposing those who were supposed to once teach, mentor, and protect the students as the predators they really are brings awareness to current and future students, as well as their families. But judging him and saying he’s bringing down the morale of the university is wrong. The staff members brought down the morale of the university by doing what they (allegedly) did or not holding those accountable for what they knew was wrong.

    Will this one video inspire others to share their story? Stay tuned…

    If you have been sexually assaulted or harassed, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or chat online at online.rainn.org. It is available 24/7 and completely confidential.