Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, entered a plea of not guilty on Monday regarding allegations of profiting from fixed poker games involving Mafia members and a former NBA player. The arraignment took place in a federal court in Brooklyn with charges of money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy, each carrying a maximum prison term of 20 years.
According to prosecutors, Billups was allegedly part of a plan to manipulate illegal poker games backed by organized crime in various locations such as Manhattan, Las Vegas, Miami, and the Hamptons. Other individuals are facing charges related to running an illicit gambling enterprise, conspiracy to commit robbery, and extortion. While plea discussions have commenced with some defendants, their identities have not been disclosed.
U.S. District Court Judge Ramon Reyes aims to schedule the extensive case for trial by the following September, instructing legal representatives to proceed accordingly. Billups, attired in a dark grey suit, responded only to direct queries from the judge, with his attorney, Marc Mukasey, entering the plea on his behalf. Both parties refrained from commenting following the hearing. Billups, represented by another lawyer last month, vehemently denied the accusations, emphasizing his integrity and rejecting the charges.
The 49-year-old Billups, who was released on a $5 million bond secured by his family’s property in Colorado, is under strict conditions prohibiting gambling and contact with co-defendants or purported victims. He has surrendered his passport and is permitted to travel solely to specific states, including Oregon, New York, and Washington, D.C.
Recognized into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame last year, Billups stands out as a prominent figure among the over 30 individuals implicated in the recent federal crackdown on illegal gambling networks intertwined with professional sports. Former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones is also among those charged in the poker affair, along with another incident involving insider information for NBA betting that implicated Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier.
In addition to the arraignment, Billups and his co-accused attended a status conference and are scheduled to return to court on March 4. Prosecutors allege that the poker manipulation utilized modified card-shuffling machines, concealed cameras in chip trays, specialized sunglasses, and table-embedded X-ray devices to gain an unfair advantage. The operation purportedly defrauded victims of an estimated $7 million from at least 2019 onwards.
Billups allegedly played a crucial role as a prominent figure to attract affluent players to the games, with organizers reportedly indicating a victim’s eagerness to involve Billups in financial transactions due to being star-struck. Prosecutors claim that Billups received a share of the illicit profits, including a $50,000 wire transfer post a rigged game in October 2020.
Organizers were allegedly obliged to share their profits with Mafia families, including the Gambino, Genovese, and Bonanno clans, for operating within the illicit poker circles controlled by New York criminal groups. In return, mob members purportedly engaged in assault, extortion, and robbery to enforce debt collection and safeguard the operation.
During his NBA career, Billups amassed approximately $106 million in earnings. Following his retirement in 2014, he transitioned to a television analyst role before venturing into coaching. Billups, the third overall pick in the 1997 draft by the Boston Celtics, played for 17 seasons in the NBA with various teams before retiring. Known as “Mr. Big Shot” in Detroit for his clutch performances, Billups was pivotal in the Pistons’ 2004 NBA championship victory, leading to his jersey retirement by the franchise.
Appointed as the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers in 2021, Billups signed a contract extension earlier this year, following the team’s failure to qualify for the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season in 2024. Upon his arrest, he was put on unpaid leave, and the Trail Blazers promoted assistant coach and former NBA player Tiago Splitter to interim coach.