A 16-year FBI employee has filed a lawsuit alleging he was fired last month because he had a Pride flag draped near his desk.
David Maltinsky, who was weeks away from being elevated to the position of agent, claims the firing was unlawful and sent a ripple of fear through the LGBT employees at the FBI.
“We’re not the enemy and we’re not some political mob. We’re proud members of the FBI, and we have a mission to do. We go to work every day to do it,” Maltinsky told CBS News in his first interview.
In a civil complaint filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Maltinsky seeks a court order to restore his job.
The suit makes several allegations, including an argument that the FBI has violated Maltinsky’s First Amendment rights and retaliated against him for protected expression.
According to the lawsuit, the First Amendment “forbids government officials from firing government employees, or otherwise retaliating against them, simply for engaging in expressive conduct concerning a matter of public concern.”
David Maltinsky
CBS News
The lawsuit states that Maltinsky was fired in a letter signed by FBI Director Kash Patel in October. A copy of the letter was provided by Maltinsky to CBS News. In it, Patel writes: “I have determined that you exercised poor judgment with an inappropriate display of political signage in your work area during your previous assignment at the Los Angeles Field Office. Pursuant to Article II of the United States Constitution and the laws of the United States, your employment with the Federal Bureau of Investigation is hereby terminated.”
The FBI had no comment regarding Maltinsky’s lawsuit.
Maltinsky, who began working at the FBI in 2008, was in the midst of a training program for future agents at the FBI’s facility in Quantico, Virginia, when he was fired, according to the lawsuit.
The rainbow flag that Maltinsky displayed at his workspace in the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office was presented to him after it had previously been displayed outside the Bureau’s federal office complex there, according to the lawsuit.
Maltinsky said the federal government approved the display of Pride flags at federal office complexes in June 2021. His lawsuit alleges that a colleague filed a complaint with a supervisor about Maltinsky’s flag on Jan. 20, 2025, the day of President Trump’s second Inaugural.
In an hourlong interview with CBS News, Maltinsky said his firing has had a chilling impact inside the Bureau.
“The ripple effect of fear has been felt. Many gay colleagues have removed Pride flags from their desks, allies have removed Pride flags from their desk,” he said.
David Maltinsky holding a Pride flag. He is suing the FBI over his termination.
CBS News
“David’s dream was to serve our country as an FBI Special Agent,” said Christopher M. Mattei, counsel for Maltinsky and a partner at Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder, PC. “When that dream was cruelly taken from him, he stayed true to his oath and is now fighting to protect the rights of all Americans.”
“This case is about far more than one man’s career—it’s about whether the government can punish Americans simply for saying who they are,” Mattei said.
Under questioning at a congressional hearing in September, Patel told senators he was not taking action against any “enemies list,” including among FBI employees.
“The only actions we take, generally speaking, for personnel at the FBI, are ones based on merit and qualification and your ability to uphold your constitutional duty,” Patel said.
“You fall short, you don’t work there anymore.”
Maltinsky’s firing is part of a large and growing wave of terminations, resignations and retirements inside the Justice Department since Jan. 20. Justice Connection, an organization that supports the ex-employees, told CBS News more than 5,000 employees have left or been fired from the agency this year.
The purge includes agents and prosecutors who handled the U.S. Capitol riot prosecutions and the special counsel criminal probes of President Trump, which were dropped after Mr. Trump won the election in November 2024.
“It’s very sad that it’s happening,” Maltinsky told CBS News. “But part of this filing is that: I’m not intimidated. We’re not intimidated.”
“Diversity means so much to so many different people,” he added. “There is no one definition that everyone will agree on. What I believe is diversity brings strength.”
“CSI: Miami” and “All My Children” actor Eva LaRue and her daughter Kaya Callahan share their harrowing ordeal with a relentless stalker that began in 2007 in a new two-part Paramount+ documentary, “My Nightmare Stalker: The Eva LaRue Story.” The pair joins “CBS Saturday Morning” to share more about their experience.
Ex-NBA player Damon Jones to be arraigned in illegal gambling probe – CBS News
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Former NBA player Damon Jones is set to be arraigned Thursday in connection with two federal criminal cases into illegal betting. CBS News’ Meg Oliver has the latest.
The FBI arrested multiple people in connection with a potential ISIS-inspired terror attack in Dearborn, Michigan, FBI Director Kash Patel said in a Friday social media post.
At least five people were arrested in connection with a possible terror plot in Dearborn, Michigan, law enforcement sources told CBS News. Meanwhile, daylight saving time continues to spark controversy in the U.S. All that and all that matters in today’s Eye Opener.
FBI Director Kash Patel says a “potential terrorist attack,” allegedly targeting Halloween weekend in Michigan, was thwarted by the FBI on Friday morning.
Five people between the ages of 16 and 20 were arrested Friday, CBS News has learned. Authorities say they were inspired by a former member of the Michigan Army National Guard who was arrested in May for allegedly planning an ISIS-inspired attack against a U.S. Army site in suburban Detroit. Ammar Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said, 19, was accused of providing support for a planned attack on the U.S. Army’s Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command facility at the Detroit Arsenal.
One or more members of the group of five young people arrested Friday may have known Said, law enforcement sources told CBS News.
The plot, however, was not well formed, and the FBI was monitoring an online discussion about the plot for a period of time. There was no concrete plan for an attack.
“Through swift action and close coordination with our local partners, a potential act of terror was stopped before it could unfold,” Patel said in a statement on social media. “The vigilance of this FBI prevented what could have been a tragic attack — and thanks to their dedication, Michigan will have a safe and happy Halloween.”
A spokesperson for the FBI field office in Detroit told CBS News that FBI agents were in the cities of Dearborn and Inkster on Friday, “conducting law enforcement activities.” They did not offer any additional information on the investigation but said there is “no current threat to public safety.”
The law enforcement source said an FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force member had apparently uncovered two teenagers on an online ISIS chat room in some kind of discussion, but that no real plot materialized.
Members of the FBI task force were photographed outside a home in Dearborn on Friday morning.
Members of the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force search a home in Dearborn, Michigan, on Oct. 31, 2025. FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency had thwarted a “potential terrorist attack.”
JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images
Sources said the FBI had not shared specific details of the operation with Dearborn city authorities, but city officials were informed a few hours in advance that an operation would be conducted in the neighborhood where it occurred.
The Dearborn Police Department said in a post on Facebook that it’s aware the FBI conducted operations in the city on Friday morning.
“We want to assure our residents that there is no threat to the community at this time,” the police department’s post said.
Dearborn borders Detroit, about 7 miles west of downtown. Inkster is a suburb located about 12 miles west of downtown Detroit.
FBI Director Kash Patel says a “potential terrorist attack,” allegedly targeting Halloween weekend in Michigan, was thwarted by the FBI on Friday morning.
Five people between the ages of 16 and 20 were arrested Friday, CBS News has learned. Authorities say they were inspired by a former member of the Michigan Army National Guard who was arrested in May for allegedly planning an ISIS-inspired attack against a U.S. Army site in suburban Detroit. Ammar Abdulmajid-Mohamed Said, 19, was accused of providing support for a planned attack on the U.S. Army’s Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command facility at the Detroit Arsenal.
One or more members of the group of five young people arrested Friday may have known Said, law enforcement sources told CBS News.
The plot, however, was not well formed, and the FBI was monitoring an online discussion about the plot for a period of time. There was no concrete plan for an attack.
“Through swift action and close coordination with our local partners, a potential act of terror was stopped before it could unfold,” Patel said in a statement on social media. “The vigilance of this FBI prevented what could have been a tragic attack — and thanks to their dedication, Michigan will have a safe and happy Halloween.”
A spokesperson for the FBI field office in Detroit told CBS News that FBI agents were in the cities of Dearborn and Inkster on Friday, “conducting law enforcement activities.” They did not offer any additional information on the investigation but said there is “no current threat to public safety.”
The law enforcement source said an FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force member had apparently uncovered two teenagers on an online ISIS chat room in some kind of discussion, but that no real plot materialized.
Members of the FBI task force were photographed outside a home in Dearborn on Friday morning.
Sources said the FBI had not shared specific details of the operation with Dearborn city authorities, but city officials were informed a few hours in advance that an operation would be conducted in the neighborhood where it occurred.
Members of the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force search a home in Dearborn, Michigan, on Oct. 31, 2025. FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency had thwarted a “potential terrorist attack.”
JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images
The Dearborn Police Department said in a post on Facebook that it’s aware that the FBI conducted operations in the city on Friday morning.
“We want to assure our residents that there is no threat to the community at this time,” the police department’s post said.
Dearborn borders Detroit, about 7 miles west of downtown. Inkster is a suburb located about 12 miles west of downtown Detroit.
Nine alleged members of Oakland-based Sureño street gangs are facing racketeering charges in connection with murders and other related crimes, federal officials said Wednesday.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California announced the indictments on the same day six of the suspects were arrested in coordinated law enforcement operations. Authorities arrested 24-year-old Marvin Bonilla, 24-year-old Edwin Cano-Marida, 31-year-old Walfer Mendoza-Mendoza, 24-year-old Mario Pablo-Matias, 31-year-old Raymundo Pablo-Matias and 28-year-old Carlos Ramiro-Mendoza.
Law enforcement, including the FBI, on the scene of a sweep of alleged Sureño gang members in Oakland on Oct. 29, 2025.
CBS
Two other suspects, 28-year-old Cesar Rolando Lucas-Pablo and 41-year-old Jeronimo Pablo-Carrillo, were already in custody, officials said. The 9th suspect, identified as 25-year-old Gonzalo Pablo, remains at large.
“Like people everywhere, the residents of Oakland deserve safe and peaceful neighborhoods, not ones filled with fear and senseless violence,” said United States Attorney Craig Missakian said in a statement. “My office will continue to partner with local and federal law enforcement to reclaim our streets from the gangs who threaten our residents.”
“These individuals have caused lasting damage to our community for years,” said Assistant Chief James Beere of the Oakland Police Department. “Their violent actions, including shootings and homicides, have left families mourning and communities forever changed.”
According to prosecutors, the suspects belonged to the Oakland Sureños, who are part of the larger Sureños street gang and are subordinate to and allied with the Mexican Mafia prison gang. Members are accused of committing more than a dozen criminal acts, including at least two murders and three attempted murders, along with shootings, firearms trafficking and narcotics trafficking.
Prosecutors said the crimes included committing violence against people perceived as rivals of the Sureños, which led to innocent members of the public being injured or killed.
In addition to the racketeering charges, which carry a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison, six of the suspects are facing additional sentencing factors that could lead to life in prison.
Among those facing a potential life sentence include Gonzalez Pablo for his alleged role in a Nov. 2018 attempted murder, Lucas-Pablo, Pablo-Carillo and Ramiro-Mendoza for their alleged role a Jan. 5, 2019 murder, Ramiro-Mendoza and Pablo-Carillo for their alleged role in a Jan. 18, 2019 murder; along with Cano-Merida and Mario Pablo-Matias for their alleged role in an attempted murder in May 2021.
Prosecutors said the suspects are scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday.
An NBA Hall of Famer, a current star and former player are among dozens of people arrested Thursday in a sweeping FBI crackdown on alleged illegal gambling rings.
Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier and Damon Jones, each mainstays of professional basketball for years, were indicted alongside more than 30 other suspects who include alleged members of prominent organized crime families.
The NBA said in a statement that Rozier and Billups were being put on leave and that the league is cooperating with authorities. Jones is not currently employed by the league.
One of the federal cases unveiled Thursday involves allegations of cheating in high-stakes poker games operated by mafia figures. The elaborate cheating scheme netted more than $7 million from rigged games, prosecutors said.The other case revolves around bets on basketball games, which were allegedly placed using insider information related to injury reports.
Jones is among three people arrested in connection with both schemes. In total, 34 people were charged across two indictments. Here’s a look at who’s who in the case:
Chauncey Billups
Head coach Chauncey Billups of the Portland Trail Blazers looks on during a game on Oct. 22, 2025 in Portland, Oregon.
Steph Chambers / Getty Images
Billups, the 49-year-old head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024. His 17-year NBA playing career included a championship with the 2004 Detroit Pistons, as well as stints with the Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets, LA Clippers and other teams.
The poker ring indictment alleges that wealthy people were invited to “rigged games” with well-known former professional athletes, known as “face cards,” who received a portion of proceeds from “cheating teams.”
One such game, in April 2019 in Las Vegas, allegedly involved both Billups and Jones and used a device described as a “rigged shuffling machine” that was secretly altered to read the cards. The FBI said a victim was defrauded of $50,000 in that game.
An attorney for Billups disputed the charges. “To believe that Chauncey Billups did what the federal government is accusing him of is to believe that he would risk his hall-of-fame legacy, his reputation, and his freedom. He would not jeopardize those things for anything, let alone a card game,” the attorney, Chris Heywood, said in a statement. “He will fight these allegations with the same tenacity that marked his 28-year career. We look forward to our day in court.”
Terry Rozier
Terry Rozier of the Miami Heat during a game on March 31, 2025.
Scott Taetsch / Getty Images
The only current player in the indictments, Rozier is a 31-year-old guard for the Miami Heat, nicknamed “Scary Terry” and, according to the FBI indictment, “Chum.”
Rozier is one of six people charged in the sports betting case.
The indictment highlights a March 23, 2023, game involving the Charlotte Hornets, who Rozier played for at the time. Rozier allegedly told a “longtime friend” he would leave the game early, claiming to be injured. The indictment accuses Rozier of providing that information so that his friend could place bets that predicted Rozier would underperform during the game, known as betting on his “unders.” Rozier stopped playing that night after nine minutes. His friend, Deniro Laster, and two others, who are also charged, allegedly placed “more than $200,000 in wagers predicting Rozier’s “under” statistics,” officials said.
An attorney for Rozier, James Trusty, said prosecutors “appear to be taking the word of spectacularly in-credible sources rather than relying on actual evidence of wrongdoing. Terry was cleared by the NBA and these prosecutors revived that non-case. Terry is not a gambler, but he is not afraid of a fight, and he looks forward to winning this fight.”
The NBA said in a statement Thursday, “We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and the integrity of our game remains our top priority.”
Damon Jones
Jones, a former NBA player and coach who now lives in Texas, is accused of participating in the poker scheme as a “face card” and member of the “cheating teams,” according to the indictment in that case.
The former Cleveland Cavaliers guard is also accused in the sports betting case of attempting to give inside information to bettors on “a prominent NBA player,” who appears to be LeBron James based on the description of a particular Lakers game. The superstar and Jones played on the Cavaliers together nearly two decades ago. James is not accused of any wrongdoing.
LeBron James (left) talks with former teammate Damon Jones during an off-day practice before the Golden State Warriors played the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 3 of the NBA Finals on June 6, 2017.
Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images
Ernest Aiello
Aiello, of Wantagh, New York, is described in the poker indictment as “a member of the Bonanno Crime Family of La Cosa Nostra.”
Nelson Alvarez
Alvarez, who the indictment describes as being nicknamed “Spanish G,” is accused of being a part of the poker “cheating teams.” He is from Uniondale, New York.
Louis Apicella
The 50-year-old New Rochelle, New York, resident is described in the poker indictment as “an associate of the Gambino Crime Family” and a member of the “cheating teams.”
Ammar Awawdeh
The 34-year-old Brooklyn resident, nicknamed “Flapper Poker” and “Flappy,” according to the indictment, is described as a member of the Gambino Crime Family who allegedly organized rigged poker games.
Saul Becher
Becher, a 45-year-old from the Bronx, allegedly organized rigged poker games.
Matthew Daddino
Nicknamed “the Wrestler,” according to the FBI, Daddino is a resident of Franklin Square, New York. He is accused of being a member of the Genovese Crime Family member and of receiving proceeds from some of the poker games.
Eric Earnest
The 53-year-old St. Louis resident, known as “Spook,” according to the indictments, is accused in both cases. He was allegedly among the poker “cheating teams” and is also accused of using insider information to bet on NBA games.
Marves Fairley
The Mississippi resident, described as being nicknamed “Vez,” “Vezino” and “Vezino Locks,” posts frequently on social media about sports betting. He is accused of agreeing to pay Deniro Laster for information about Rozier’s alleged plan to leave the March 23, 2023, game early.
Lee Fama
The 57-year-old Brooklyn resident and alleged member of the Gambino Crime Family is accused of receiving proceeds from some of the poker games.
John Gallo
A 53-year-old Brooklyn resident, Gallo is described in the poker indictment as an associate of the Gambino Crime Family and a member of the “cheating teams.” He is accused of organizing one of the allegedly rigged games.
Marco Garzon
A 39-year-old from Elizabeth, New Jersey, Garzon is accused of being among the “cheating teams” in the poker ring.
Thomas Gelardo
Nicknamed “Juice,” according to the poker indictment, the 42-year-old resident of Scarsdale, New York, is described as “an associate of the Bonanno Crime Family and later an associate of the Genovese Crime Family.” He is accused of working with others to extort a person “to secure the repayment of debt from illegal poker games.”
Jamie Gilet
The 40-year-old from Jericho, New York, is accused of being on the poker “cheating teams.”
Tony Goodson
Goodson, a 52-year-old Forsyth, Georgia, resident described as being nicknamed “Black Tony,” allegedly helped “provide cheating technology” for the poker scheme and was also among the “cheating teams.”
Kenny Han
The 40-year-old Queens resident is accused of being among the poker “cheating teams.”
Shane Hennen
Nicknamed “Sugar,” according to the indictments, the 40-year-old Las Vegas resident is accused in both cases. Hennen allegedly organized rigged poker games and provided “cheating technology.” Separately, law enforcement officials said he directed “his associates to place bets on Rozier’s unders.”
Osman Hoti
The 44-year-old Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, resident — described as being nicknamed “Albanian Bruce” and “Big Bruce” — allegedly provided security at one of the poker games.
Horatio Hu
The 37-year-old Queens resident is accused of being among the poker “cheating teams.”
Zhen Hu
A resident of Brooklyn, he is accused of being an organizer of some of the games and of working with others to extort a person “to secure the repayment of debt from illegal poker games,” according to the indictment. The 37-year-old is described in court documents as having several nicknames, including “Jonathan Chan,” “Jonathan Hu,” “Scruli,” and “Stanley.”
Joseph Lanni
Described in the indictment as a member of the Gambino Crime Family, the 54-year-old Staten Island resident is accused of receiving proceeds from at least one poker game.
Deniro Laster
A key player in the sports betting indictment, Laster — who’s described as being nicknamed “Niro,” “Payso” and “Peso” — is accused of orchestrating payments and collecting cash. At one point he allegedly “drove through the night to Rozier’s house, where together they counted the profits together.”
John Mazzola
The 43-year-old from Gray, Georgia, is described as being nicknamed “John South,” and accused of being a member of the “cheating teams.”
Curtis Meeks
The 41-year-old Elgin, Texas, resident allegedly “worked with others to provide cheating technology” for the poker scheme.
Nicholas Minucci
Allegedly an associate of the Gambino Crime Family, the 39-year-old East Northport, New York, resident is accused of being a member of the “cheating teams.”
Michael Renzulli
The 42-year-old Islip, New York, resident is accused of being among the “cheating teams.”
Angelo Ruggiero, Jr.
Allegedly an associate of the Gambino Crime Family, according to prosecutors, the 53-year-old Howard Beach, New York, resident is accused of receiving proceeds from at least one poker game.
Anthony Shnayderman
Described as being nicknamed “Doc,” Shnayderman is accused of laundering criminal proceeds from the poker scheme.
Robert Stroud
Described as being nicknamed “Black Rob,” the 67-year-old Louisville, Kentucky, resident allegedly organized rigged poker games and provided “cheating technology” for the scheme.
Seth Trustman
An alleged associate of the Lucchese Crime Family, the 43-year-old Queens resident is accused of organizing rigged games.
Sophia Wei
Nicknamed “Pookie,” the 40-year-old Queens resident is accused of being among the “cheating teams.”
Julius Ziliani
Described as being a member of the Bonanno Crime Family nicknamed “Jay,” the 54-year-old Wayne, New Jersey, resident is accused by prosecutors of working with others to extort a person “to secure the repayment of debt from illegal poker games.”
Dozens of people including former and current NBA players and a coach have been charged in connection to two investigations into an alleged widespread sports betting scheme and organized crime ring, the FBI and federal prosecutors announced Thursday.
Among those taken into custody today are Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier, who has played for the Miami Heat since 2024. Billups, a former star guard who played for multiple NBA teams, was arrested in Portland and Rozier was arrested in Orlando.
Former NBA player Damon Jones was also arrested in connection to the sports betting charges investigation.
The arrests are in relation to two federal criminal cases. One involves a sports betting ring involving former and current NBA players, including some who allegedly faked injuries. The other case involves illegal high-stakes poker games involving coaches and operated by organized crime figures. Three people, including Jones, were arrested in connection to both schemes, the U.S. attorney’s office said.
Thirty-one people are being charged in the second case, and some of those defendants are allegedly connected to organized crime families known to law enforcement, prosecutors said. Rozier was arrested in connection with the first case, while Billups was arrested in the second one.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the charges and the arrests in both cases include wire fraud, money laundering, extortion, robbery and illegal gambling.
Miami Heat player Trent Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups.
Getty Images
Patel called the arrests “extraordinary,” saying that they stemmed from a “coordinated takedown across 11 states.”
“Not only did we crack into the fraud that these perpetrators committed on the grand stage of the NBA, but we have also interred and executed a system of justice against La Cosa Nostra to include the Bonanno, Gambino, Genovese and Lucchese crime families,” Patel said.
Joseph Nocella, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said the defendants allegedly used a “variety of very sophisticated cheating technologies,” including self-shuffling machines that had been secretly altered to read the cards in the deck and predict which player at the table had the best poker hand, which was then allegedly sent to an off-site operator. The off-site operator then allegedly sent the information via cell phone to the co-conspirator at the table, who was known as the quarterback. The quarterback then allegedly secretly signaled the information to others and at the table, and together, they used that information to win the games, Nocella said.
Nocella said that in the first case that involves Rozier, the defendants allegedly profited off of games played by the Charlotte Hornets, Portland Trail Blazers, the L.A. Lakers and the Toronto Raptors. The defendants allegedly used non-public information to place bets of hundreds of thousands of dollars, mostly in the form of prop bets on individual player performance in games, Nocella said.
“Most of these bets succeeded, and the intended losses were in the hundreds of millions of dollars,” Nocella said. “The defendants then laundered their illegal winnings in various ways — peer-to-peer platforms, bank wires and simple cash exchanges.”
Rozier’s attorney James Trusty sent a statement to CBS News saying that Rozier had been characterized as a subject, not a target, but at 6 a.m. this morning they called to tell me FBI agents were trying to arrest him in a hotel.” Trusty accused federal prosecutors of wanting “the misplaced glory of embarrassing a professional athlete with a perp walk.”
Nocella said the investigation does not involve college basketball, and added that the investigation is still ongoing.
The defendants allegedly lauded their proceeds, including through cash exchanges, multiple shell companies and cryptocurrency transfers as part of the scheme, Nocella said.
The NBA did not immediately comment.
This is not the first high-profile incident involving alleged illegal betting and the NBA. Earlier this year in a separate case, former NBA player Gilbert Arenas was arrested for allegedly operating an illegal gambling and poker ring out of a California home that he owned.
Numerous arrests stemming from illegal sports betting charges are taking place across the country, a law enforcement source told CBS News on Thursday.
Among those taken into custody today are Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier, who has played for the Miami Heat since 2024. Billups, a former star guard who played for multiple NBA teams, was arrested in Portland and Rozier was arrested in Florida.
Former NBA player Damon Jones was also arrested in connection to the sports betting charges investigation.
New York City Police Department sources told CBS News that the arrests are in relation to two federal criminal cases. One involves a sports betting ring involving former and current NBA players, including some who allegedly faked injuries. The other case involves illegal high-stakes poker games involving coaches and operated by organized crime figures. Thirty-one people are being charged in the second case, the NYPD sources said.
Rozier was arrested in connection with the first case, while Billups was arrested in the second one, the sources said.
FBI director Kash Patel and other federal officials are set to announce numerous arrests in illegal sports betting and poker game schemes in New York City at 10 a.m. EST.
The FBI did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the arrests.
The NBA also did not immediately comment.
This is not the first high-profile incident involving alleged illegal betting and the NBA. Earlier this year in a separate case, former NBA player Gilbert Arenas was arrested for allegedly operating an illegal gambling and poker ring out of a California home that he owned.
CBS News has confirmed that thousands of FBI agents, usually tasked with combating domestic terrorism and other national security threats, have been reassigned to immigration enforcement. Camilo Montoya-Galvez has more.
Two years after the October 7th attacks in Israel, there remains a strong wave of hate in America.
According to the FBI, nearly 70% of reported religious-based hate crimes targeted Jews in 2024, a stark contrast to how Jews only make up 2% of the U.S. population.
“We are already at the highest state of security that we can possibly be at,” Ethan Roberts, Deputy Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas, explained to WCCO News. “Security is multi-layered as always. It’s the partnership of local law enforcement. It’s private security, it’s of course JCRC security. It’s the awareness that we ask of all the congregants.”
“We’re seeing more vandalism, we’re seeing more arson, we’re seeing more violence,” Kris Moloney, an army veteran and current church security consultant, lamented to WCCO News. “Churches have kind of had to be a little more intentional about what they do to ensure their guests and visitors and congregants are safer.”
Moloney said his Minnesota-based firm advises houses of worship across the country, said he encourages communities to establish security committees to gameplan for services and events.
“You know all this stuff can be done by, shall we say, normal people – not law enforcement, not military – just normal people can make all the difference in the world by paying attention.”
Jonah Kaplan is an award-winning journalist who has built a strong reputation for his balanced reporting, thoughtful interviews, and deeply researched coverage of high-impact issues affecting the community. His work appears on all of WCCO’s newscasts and is often featured on CBS News’ programs and platforms, including the CBS Evening News, CBS Mornings and CBS 24/7.
Leaders of the Federal Bureau of Investigation fired more than a dozen agents who kneeled amid Black Lives Matter protests in Washington, D.C. in the summer of 2020. Many of the agents had already been demoted or put on administrative leave.
One source told CBS News that the termination letter to the agents cited their alleged “lack of judgement” in their actions. The agents had been photographed kneeling after encountering protestors during the demonstrations that followed George Floyd’s death in May 2020. The kneeling had angered some in the FBI, but was also understood as a possible de-escalation tactic, the Associated Press reported.
The number of FBI employees terminated was not immediately clear, but two people told the Associated Press it was roughly 20.
The FBI Agents Association, which represents a majority of FBI agents, said that it “strongly condemns” the firings and urged Congress to investigate. The association accused FBI Director Kash Patel of violating the law and ignoring the agents’ “constitutional and legal rights instead of following the requisite process.”
“Leaders uphold the law – they don’t repeatedly break it,” the association said. “They respect due process, rather than hide from it. Patel’s dangerous new pattern of actions are weakening the Bureau because they eliminate valuable expertise and damage trust between leadership and the workforce, and make it harder to recruit and retain skilled agents—ultimately putting our nation at greater risk.”
An FBI spokesperson did not comment on the firings.
The firings come amid a broader personnel purge at the bureau as Patel works to reshape the nation’s premier federal law enforcement agency.
Five agents and top-level executives were known to have been summarily fired last month in a wave of ousters that current and former officials say has contributed to declining morale.
One of those, Steve Jensen, helped oversee investigations into the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. Another, Brian Driscoll, served as acting FBI director in the early days of the Trump administration and resisted Justice Department demands to supply the names of agents who investigated Jan. 6.
A third, Chris Meyer, was incorrectly rumored on social media to have participated in the investigation into President Donald Trump’s retention of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla. A fourth, Walter Giardina, participated in high-profile investigations like the one into Trump adviser Peter Navarro.
A lawsuit filed by Jensen, Driscoll and another fired FBI supervisor, Spencer Evans, alleged that Patel communicated that he understood that it was “likely illegal” to fire agents based on cases they worked but was powerless to stop it because the White House and the Justice Department were determined to remove all agents who investigated Trump.
Patel denied at a congressional hearing last week taking orders from the White House on whom to fire and said anyone who has been fired failed to meet the FBI’s standards.
Andrew here. With the federal indictment of the former F.B.I. director James Comey, Trump is now clearly moving against his enemies. Among the high-profile names on his list are two titans of business: the billionaire philanthropist George Soros (whose former protégé Scott Bessent is Trump’s Treasury secretary) and the LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, both of whom are prolific Democratic donors. He spoke about going after them openly in the White House on Thurday.
During past administrations,C.E.O.s in America showed a willingness to speak out against the president or his policies. Do Trump’s latest moves make it more fraught to do so? We have more on this, and other news below.
Comey may not be the last
President Trump has gotten his way, securing a federal indictment of James Comey, the former F.B.I. director and a longtime political opponent, despite concerns within the Justice Department over the case.
The question is who comes next.
Trump has already named potential targets: the billionaires George Soros and Reid Hoffman, both prolific Democratic donors, plus Democratic officials like Letitia James, New York’s attorney general.
The Comey indictment came only after Trump put an ally in charge of the case. Lindsey Halligan, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, secured two charges from a grand jury before a statute of limitations ran out. Halligan, who has never prosecuted a federal case, failed to secure a third charge.
Trump has already weighed in, declaring “JUSTICE IN AMERICA!” on social media.
But the charges came after Halligan replaced Erik Siebert, who had privately expressed misgivings about the strength of the case, as U.S. attorney. Other Trump officials, including Attorney General Pam Bondi (who The Times reported had also raised concerns about the case), publicly praised the charges.
Who else faces scrutiny:
Soros, whose Open Society Foundations nonprofit is explicitly the target of potential Justice Department investigations, The Times reported. Long a boogeyman on the right for his funding of liberal causes, the billionaire has faced heightened legal pressure in the wake of the Charlie Kirk shooting, though the Open Society Foundations said in a statement that its activities are “peaceful and lawful.” It also decried “politically motivated attacks on civil society.”
Hoffman, the LinkedIn co-founder, venture capitalist and longtime Democratic donor who helped bankroll private lawsuits against Trump. Hoffman has stayed relatively quiet about politics since the presidential election.
“I hear names of some pretty rich people that are radical left people,” Trump said on Thursday in specifically naming Soros and Hoffman, and suggesting more may come under fire. “They’re bad, and we’re going to find out if they are funding these things.”
Several legal experts have said that the cases against Comey — as well as a mortgage fraud investigation against James — is flawed. Even so, the indictment is already sending a powerful message, and corporate America is already on edge.
HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING
Microsoft cuts off the Israeli military from some cloud services. The U.S. tech giant found that Israel’s Defense Ministry was misusing its products to hold surveillance data on Palestinians, including about millions of phone calls. The move makes Microsoft one of the first tech companies to remove or disable services to Israel since the start of the war in Gaza. It comes as the U.N. announced the need for greater global oversight over the risks and opportunities of A.I., including mass surveillance.
All living Fed chairs ask the Supreme Court to protect bank independence. Alan Greenspan, Ben Bernanke and Janet Yellen (as well as the former Treasury secretaries Larry Summers and Hank Paulson) filed a court briefingurging the justices to allow the Fed governor Lisa Cook to remain in her job while she fights President Trump’s move to fire her over mortgage fraud allegations. Their argument hits at a deep investor concern: Research shows that lower inflation and lower long-term interest rates are features of independent central banks.
NBC warns some viewers that they could lose “Sunday Night Football.” NBCUniversal ran ads criticizing YouTube TV in the midst of fraught negotiations over what the Google-owned streaming service would pay for NBC programming. The network threatened a blackout of its programming — which also includes N.B.A. basketball and the “Real Housewives” franchise — on YouTube TV unless an agreement is reached by Thursday.
They’re set to go into effect on Oct. 1, which investors had already circled in their diaries as the start of a potential government shutdown. But what’s striking is how broad these new levies are, targeting pharmaceuticals, semi trucks, and kitchen cabinets and furnishings, including, yes, kitchen sinks.
The breakdown:
Branded and patented pharmaceuticals face a 100 percent tariff.
Kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities are set for a 50 percent levy.
Upholstered furniture will be hit by a 30 percent charge.
Heavy trucks will be charged 25 percent.
Are semiconductors next? The administration is said to be formulating a plan to use tariffs to sharply reduce corporate America’s reliance on foreign-made chips and bolster domestic production, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The levies could land unevenly. For example, President Trump said that drugmakers building U.S. factories (which he said included those that are “‘breaking ground’ and/or ‘under construction’”) would be exempt.
Worth noting: The trade deal struck this summer between the U.S. and the E.U. set a 15 percent tariff on imports including brand-name medicines. Olof Gill, a European Commission spokesman, said on Friday that the agreement would protect European importers from these new taxes, but the White House didn’t clarify that point on Thursday.
The new tariffs could complicate the Fed’s job. Levies that drive up the price of patented drugs are expected to increase Americans’ health care costs. They come as inflation remains well above the central bank’s 2 percent target. Friday’s Personal Consumption Expenditures report is expected to show that tariffs are beginning to nudge prices higher.
A hot number could also scramble the outlook for interest rates. Fed officials are divided on whether to slow the pace of cuts to bring inflation under control, or take bolder action to revive a slowing labor market.
Elsewhere in trade: China, historically a major customer of U.S. soybeans, has stopped buying them — and is instead sourcing them from Argentina. That has outraged Republicans, especially as the Trump administration plans a financial backstop for Buenos Aires. That aside, Trump said he would like to use some tariff revenue to help struggling American farmers.
TikTok deal confusion
It looks as if there’s finally a deal to keep TikTok operating in the U.S. But there are already questions about the valuation and one of the principal investors.
The latest: President Trump said on Thursday that “American investors, American companies, great ones” would lead the consortium to take over TikTok’s U.S. operations from its Chinese owner, ByteDance.
But one of the expected backers is the Abu Dhabi-based investment firm MGX. It would also gain a board seat, the latest sign of the Emiratis using their deep pockets and growing ties to the Trump administration to expand their global influence.
Consider:
The Persian Gulf state has pledged to invest $1.4 trillion in the U.S. over the next 10 years, to not only purchase Boeing jets, but to branch into artificial intelligence quantum computing and more.
MGX is also a major player in crypto, bringing it closer into Trump’s orbit. This spring it announced a $2 billion investment involving World Liberty Financial, a cryptocurrency start-up founded by the Trump family and Zach Witkoff, the son of Trump’s international diplomatic envoy, Steve Witkoff.
Two weeks later, the White House approved giving the United Arab Emirates access to a vast cache of advanced A.I. chips, a Times investigation revealed, many of which would go to G42, a sprawling technology firm controlled by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who chairs MGX. (There’s no evidence the crypto and chips deals are linked.)
On Thursday, the Democratic senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Elissa Slotkin of Michigan asked inspectors general at the Commerce and State Departments to investigate whether these actions violated ethics rules.
Wall Street is confused, too. Vice President JD Vance, who has led negotiations around TikTok, valued the deal on Thursday at $14 billion. Some analysts had pegged it at closer to $30 billion to $40 billion. The app’s ad revenue alone was estimated at $10 billion last year. In contrast, Snap collected about $5.4 billion in sales last year. Its market capitalization: $14 billion.
“The number’s got to be wrong,” Brent Hill, a technology analyst at Jeffries, told CNBC. “It doesn’t make sense.”
“When the state becomes involved in picking winners and losers, there’s only one way this game ends: All of us lose.”
— Ken Griffin. The billionaire investor and longtime Republican donor, who recently spoke out against President Trump’s efforts to undermine Fed independence, has a new criticism: the Trump administration cutting deals with companies in exchange for tariff relief.
Talking A.I. With the C.E.O. of DLA Piper
Every week, we’re asking a chief executive how he or she uses generative artificial intelligence. Frank Ryan of the law firm DLA Piper, which has about 4,500 lawyers in 40 offices, told DealBook that the company was developing its own A.I. tools. His answers have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
How do you use A.I. personally?
I had a family member undergo surgery, and I took all of his results and put them into Perplexity — it was remarkable.
What directives have you given your employees on A. I.?
You have to embrace new technology — you just do. We have 20 or so data scientists. We have a group developing our own technology.
The public large language models provide you with some helpful responses. But given the precision that we require and that our clients require, we need something a bit more specific. So we’ve created our own data sets to look at different needs. We’ve got a great team that does red-teaming [trying to break through the safeguards of A.I. programs in an effort to identify their vulnerabilities]. We look at whether or not there are hallucinations.
We’ve got great tools on both the transaction and the litigation sides of our business that try to predict outcomes rather effectively.
Having laid off thousands in recent months, Accenture has warned employees that it plans to “exit” those who they feel cannot be retrained for the A.I. age. (FT)
Best of the rest
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Andrew Ross Sorkin, Bernhard Warner, Sarah Kessler, Michael J. de la Merced, Niko Gallogly and Ian Mount
An agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives shot a teenager in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, on Thursday evening, the city’s mayor said.
The shooting happened on Waugaman Street at the Linmar Terrace housing complex around 6:20 p.m., officials said.
Aliquippa Mayor Dwan B. Walker said an ATF agent shot the boy, who is an Aliquippa High School student.
Sources told KDKA that the boy was shot in the head.
District Superintendent Dr. Phillip Woods confirmed that the boy, whose name hasn’t been released, was 17 years old. His condition is unclear at this time.
Woods said that a Trauma Support Team will be on-site at the Junior/Senior High School on Friday during student arrival and the district will have resources throughout the day as needed for students.
In a statement Thursday night, Pennsylvania State Police said ATF and FBI agents “working in a joint investigation” were involved in the shooting. It was not immediately clear why the agencies were in Aliquippa, and more details surrounding the shooting were not immediately released by authorities.
A neighbor described an emotional and tense scene in Beaver County, highlighted by a large police presence.
A photo of the scene showed at least nine police vehicles near where the shooting happened. Witnesses said they heard multiple gunshots.
A large police presence in Aliquippa on Sept. 18, 2025.
Photo Credit: KDKA
“We’re frustrated because we don’t want this to be a new normal,” resident Sandra Pope said.
The Pennsylvania State Police are investigating the shooting. The ATF said in a statement that it is “supporting” the investigation “as needed.”
“We’re asking for clarity and calmness,” Walker said. “We’re asking people to search their inner self, take a deep breath, get all the facts before you snap to judgment and quick to punish.”
Walker added that he is praying for the victim and his family.
A suspect is in custody after being accused of committing a “targeted attack” by allegedly using his car to ram the entrance gate to the FBI’s Pittsburgh Field office.
The FBI says Donald Henson, of Penn Hills, who they say used his car to ram the gate to the building around 2:40 a.m. on Wednesday, is in custody.
FBI Pittsburgh Assistant Special Agent in Charge Christopher Giordano said early Wednesday that after crashing into the gate, Henson grabbed an American flag from inside the vehicle and threw it over the gate.
“We look at this as an act of terror against the FBI,” Giordano said. “This was a targeted attack on this building.” The FBI has since backed away from calling the incident an “act of terror.”
No one was reported injured at the time of the crash, according to the FBI.
The FBI is looking for a man they’ve identified as Donald Henson, of Penn Hills, who is accused of ramming his vehicle into the entrance gate of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office on the city’s South Side.
KDKA Photojournalist Anthony Sichi
The FBI says Henson left the area on foot after crashing into the gate.
Video taken by someone who was working security at a nearby gas station showed Henson walking away from the scene.
“Right now, he is wanted in connection with this crime against the FBI,” Giordano said. “It is a federal offense and we will be seeking prosecution to the fullest extent.”
The car the FBI says Henson used appeared to have some sort of message written on one of its side windows, which Giordano said investigators are still looking into and brought in a bomb squad to clear the vehicle.
The FBI says that Henson visited the Pittsburgh office recently.
“In scouring our indexes, we did find that he visited the field office a couple of weeks ago to make a complaint that didn’t make a whole lot of sense,” Giordano said. “We ran down everything that he came down with. It didn’t have a federal nexus. We contacted him to let him know there wasn’t a federal offense that we were able to charge.”
The FBI says he is believed to have a history of mental health issues and is believed to be a former member of the military.
Mike Darnay is a digital producer and photojournalist at CBS Pittsburgh. Mike has also written and produced content for Vox Media and the Mon Valley Independent.
He often covers overnight breaking news, the Pittsburgh Steelers and high school sports.
A search is underway for a man accused of committing an “act of terror” by allegedly using his car to ram the entrance gate to the FBI’s Pittsburgh Field office.
The FBI says they’re searching for Donald Henson, of Penn Hills, who they say used his car to ram the gate to the building around 2:40 a.m. on Wednesday.
FBI Pittsburgh Assistant Special Agent In Charge Christopher Giordano said early Wednesday that after crashing into the gate, Henson grabbed an American flag from inside the vehicle and threw it over the gate.
“We look at this as an act of terror against the FBI,” Giordano said. “This was a targeted attack on this building.”
No one was reported injured at the time of the crash, according to the FBI.
The FBI is looking for a man they’ve identified as Donald Henson, of Penn Hills, who is accused of ramming his vehicle into the entrance gate of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office on the city’s South Side.
KDKA Photojournalist Anthony Sichi
The FBI says Henson left the area on foot after crashing into the gate and has yet to be apprehended.
“Right now, he is wanted in connection with this crime against the FBI” Giordano said. “It is a federal offense and we will be seeking prosecution to the fullest extent.”
The car the FBI says Henson used appeared to have some sort of message written on one of its side windows, which Giordano said investigators are still looking into and brought in a bomb squad to clear the vehicle.
The FBI says that Henson visited the Pittsburgh office recently.
“In scouring our indexes, we did find that he visited the field office a couple of weeks ago to make a complaint that didn’t make a whole lot of sense,” Giordano said. “We ran down everything that he came down with. It didn’t have a federal nexus. We contacted him to let him know there wasn’t a federal offense that we were able to charge.”
Anyone with information about Henson’s whereabouts is asked to call 911.
There’s no indication that Henson is armed, but the FBI says he is believed to have a history of mental health issues and believed to be a former member of the military.
Mike Darnay is a digital producer and photojournalist at CBS Pittsburgh. Mike has also written and produced content for Vox Media and the Mon Valley Independent.
He often covers overnight breaking news, the Pittsburgh Steelers and high school sports.
During a Senate hearing on Tuesday, Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana asked FBI Director Kash Patel if others were involved in Charlie Kirk’s assassination, whether convicted sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein trafficked minors to others and more.
The manhunt for the person who shot and killed influential US conservative activist Charlie Kirk continued on Thursday, as the FBI released pictures of the suspect.
“We are asking for the public’s help identifying this person of interest in connection with the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University,” the bureau said in a post on X featuring pictures of an unidentified man.
“The FBI is offering a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to the identification and arrest of the individual(s) responsible for the murder of Charlie Kirk,” it added.
The agency said that a high-powered weapon was found in a wooded area and released a video and photos showing a person climbing down from a roof, jumping to the ground and quickly walking away.
Kirk, a prominent supporter of US President Donald Trump, was shot in the neck while speaking at an outdoor event at the university on Wednesday and later died of his injuries.
More than 7,000 leads in hunt for suspect
Authorities said the shooter may have fired from a rooftop. More than 7,000 tips have been received so far, Utah’s Republican Governor Spencer Cox told reporters, with nearly 200 interviews conducted.
Kirk’s casket was flown from Utah to Arizona, where he had lived, accompanied by Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha. Television footage showed Kirk’s wife being helped off the plane by Usha Vance. Trump said in Washington that he expects to attend the funeral.
Trump ordered flags at the White House and embassies worldwide to be flown at half-mast.
During an event at the Pentagon on Thursday marking the anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Trump said that he is posthumously awarding Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, broadcaster NBC reported.
“Charlie was a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty, and an inspiration to millions and millions of people,” Trump said.
Utah governor mentions death penalty
Authorities believe it was a targeted attack. Cox has classified the shooting as a “political assassination” and told a press conference: “I just want to remind people that we still have the death penalty here in the state of Utah.”
Two people were taken into custody following the shooting on Wednesday but were later released, Utah officials said.
Kirk, 31, did not hold elected office but was a powerful force in grassroots conservative politics, leading youth organization Turning Point USA, hosting a popular podcast and attracting millions of followers on social media.
He spoke at Trump campaign rallies in last year’s election and addressed the Republican National Convention.
Political violence is a growing concern in the deeply polarized country, affecting both Republicans and Democrats at all levels of government.
Gun violence is a persistent issue, including on school and university campuses.
Handguns and larger firearms are widely available, and mass shootings frequently spark debate over stricter gun laws. Efforts at reform have repeatedly stalled due to opposition from Republicans and the influential gun lobby.
An undated handout photo provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) shows a person of interest in connection with the fatal shooting of right-wing pundit Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University. -/Federal Bureau of Investigation/dpa
