MACON, Ga. — Two Central Georgia men stand among 34 charged in a sprawling national sports betting and gambling scandal unsealed this week, one that federal authorities say stretches from mafia-run poker games in New York to NBA coaching benches — and now, to the state’s debate over legalized gambling.

Tony Goodson, 52, of Forsyth, known as “Black Tony,” and John Mazzola, 43, of Gray, also known as “John South,” appeared Thursday before a federal judge in Macon on charges that include playing roles in high-stakes, underground games allegedly rigged using advanced cheating technology.

Both men are among dozens facing counts in an indictment announced earlier Thursday in Brooklyn, where prosecutors detailed a complex operation led by three notorious La Cosa Nostra crime families and alle

See Full Page