LeBron James
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The mobster involved in the NBA gambling scandal pleaded guilty to other unrelated charges. Such charges involved the garbage business in New York City.

The mobster who was arrested Thursday as part of the gambling scandal within the NBA previously pleaded guilty to some other charges. Joseph Lanni, also known as 'Mommino,' was accused on 23 October of involvement in multimillion-dollar rigged poker games run by members of the mob. The gambling ring also used notable figures in the NBA, such as former player and Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and former Cleveland Cavaliers coach Damon Jones, to attract more people to join.

Lanni's arrest follows his guilty plea on 17 October for leading an attempt to take control of New York City's trash and demolition business. Lanni and six other men used extortion, witness retaliation, and other crimes as part of this attempt. The mobster was subsequently indicted with one count of operating an illegal gambling business for allegedly receiving paid proceeds from the ill-gotten gains taken from the victims of the poker games.

The Gambling Racket

The newest indictment against Lanni, as well as two other members of the alleged Gambino crime family, charges them with receiving payments from a group of people running underground poker games in 80 Washington Place, Greenwich Village. They allegedly arranged for payments to Billups and Jones, who served as 'face cards' to attract potential victims who would want to play against a former pro athlete. According to the prosecutors, the victims allegedly lost millions of dollars from this scheme.

Authorities have since requested that Lanni be detained without bail pending trial in his new case. This was made on the grounds that Lanni has a history of criminal convictions and violence. The authorities also allege that Lanni violated the conditions of his previous release by contacting other made men who were part of the trash business racket.

Lanni, who also goes by another alias, 'Joe Brooklyn,' was first convicted in 1999 on securities fraud and sentenced to 2.5 years in prison. In 2014, Lanni was convicted again for promoting gambling and was sentenced to one year in prison. Lanni was also suspected in 2021 of intimidating a witness whom he and two other mobsters believed flipped on them, according to prosecutors.

In 2023, Lanni and an alleged goon named Vincent 'Vinny Slick' Minsquero got into a violent confrontation with the owners of a restaurant in Toms River, New Jersey. The owners had asked them to leave after they got into an argument with one of the patrons. Lanni and Minsquero at the time, allegedly threatened to burn down the restaurant and beat them up later that night.

Lebron James' Injury Details Sold in Gambling Scheme

In another report by the NY Post, Jones allegedly sold information about Los Angeles Lakers' star Lebron James's injury in the gambling scheme. Jones, who also served as an 'unofficial assistant coach' to the Lakers in the 2022-2023 season, sent a message to one of the members of the gambling scheme on 9 February 2023. In the message, Jones told them to place a bet on the Lakers' opponent at the time, the Milwaukee Bucks, as James would not be playing due to an injury that night, according to the outlet.

'Get a gig bet on Milwaukee tonight before the information is out!' Jones allegedly said in a text message to the member. The Lakers lost during that game.

Despite James's information being sold, the NBA star is not directly involved in the scandal.

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