Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, a former Basketball Hall of Famer, entered a plea of not guilty on Monday in response to allegations of benefiting from fixed poker games involving Mafia members and a former NBA player. Billups, a five-time NBA All-Star and a championship winner with the Detroit Pistons, faced charges of money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy during his arraignment in a federal court in Brooklyn. Each charge carries a potential maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
According to prosecutors, Billups was part of a plot to manipulate illicit poker games supported by organized crime in various locations like Manhattan, Las Vegas, Miami, and the Hamptons. Other individuals involved were accused of operating an illegal gambling enterprise, planning robbery conspiracies, and engaging in extortion schemes. Prosecutors mentioned that plea discussions have commenced with some defendants, without revealing their identities.
U.S. District Court Judge Ramon Reyes expressed his intention to move the extensive case to trial by September of the following year, urging legal representatives to proceed with necessary actions. Billups, attired in a dark grey suit, responded only to direct questions from the judge, with his attorney, Marc Mukasey, formally entering the plea. Both parties refrained from commenting after the court session. Last month, another lawyer representing Billups defended his client’s integrity and refuted the accusations.
Billups, aged 49, was released on a $5 million bond secured by his family property in Colorado. As part of the conditions, he is prohibited from gambling, contacting other defendants or alleged victims, surrendering his passport, and restricting his travel to seven states, including Oregon, New York, and Washington, D.C.
Having been recently inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame, Billups stood out as one of the most prominent figures among over 30 individuals implicated in the extensive federal crackdown on illegal gambling activities associated with professional sports.
Former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones also faced charges in the poker scandal, in addition to another scheme involving insider information to manipulate NBA wagers, which involved Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier.
The poker manipulation scheme, as per prosecutors, employed modified card-shuffling devices, covert cameras in chip holders, special eyewear, and X-ray equipment embedded in tables to read cards. Allegedly, the fraudulent operation defrauded victims of approximately $7 million from at least 2019 onwards.
Billups was allegedly used as a recognizable celebrity figure to attract affluent unsuspecting players to these games. Prosecutors claimed that organizers texted during one game, expressing a desire for a victim to lose money to Billups due to being star-struck.
It was asserted that Billups received a share of the illicit proceeds, including a $50,000 wire transfer following a rigged game in October 2020. Additionally, organizers were obligated to share their earnings with Mafia families such as Gambino, Genovese, and Bonanno in exchange for operating within their illegal poker games. The Mafia members purportedly carried out acts of assault, extortion, and robbery to enforce debt collection and safeguard the operation.
Throughout his NBA career, Billups amassed around $106 million in earnings. Following his retirement in 2014, he transitioned to a television analyst role before transitioning to coaching.
Selected as the third overall pick in the 1997 draft by the Boston Celtics after a successful collegiate career at Colorado Buffaloes, Billups played for 17 seasons in the NBA, representing teams like the Toronto Raptors, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, and Los Angeles Clippers. Notably, he was a fan favorite in Detroit, earning the moniker “Mr. Big Shot” for his clutch performances.
Billups was honored as the NBA Finals MVP during the Pistons’ championship triumph in 2004 and had his jersey retired by the team. He was appointed as the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers in 2021 and recently signed a contract extension after the team’s fourth consecutive playoff miss in 2024. Subsequently, following his arrest, Billups was put on unpaid leave, and the Trail Blazers named Tiago Splitter, a former NBA player and assistant coach, as the interim coach.