New York – Several of the 34 defendants arrested in a sweeping FBI crackdown on alleged illegal gambling rings appeared in Brooklyn court this week, as prosecutors began to reveal facets of the complex case that ensnared alleged members of crime families and NBA mainstays.

The attorney for Zhen Hu had one question for the judge before his client signed the $500,000 bond that would allow for his release from a detention facility in Brooklyn after his arrest last week. James Branden asked Thursday during Hu's bail hearing in federal court in the Eastern District of New York if his client could still "buy a lotto ticket from time to time?"

Hu is one of several defendants charged across two indictments who appeared in court throughout the week. One indictment relates to a sports bet

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