Basketball Hall Of Famer Chauncey Billups Pleads Not Guilty To Mafia Poker Charges

Portland Trail Blazers coach and hoops Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups pleaded not blameworthy connected Monday to charges he profited from rigged poker games involving respective mafia figures and astatine slightest 1 different erstwhile NBA player.

Billups, who won a title pinch nan Detroit Pistons arsenic a player, was arraigned successful a national tribunal successful New York City connected money laundering conspiracy and ligament fraud conspiracy charges, some of which transportation a maximum reward of 20 years successful prison. Some of Billups’ co-defendants are besides charged pinch moving an forbidden gambling business and engaging successful an extortion conspiracy.

Billups’s attorney, Chris Heywood, has said his customer is simply a “man of integrity” and denies nan charges.

“To judge that Chauncey Billups did what nan national authorities is accusing him of is to judge that he would consequence his Hall of Fame legacy, his estimation and his freedom. He would not jeopardize those things for anything, fto unsocial a paper game,” Heywood said aft Billups appeared successful national tribunal successful Portland, Oregon, erstwhile prosecutors first announced nan indictment connected 23 October.

Billups wore a acheronian grey suit during Monday’s little arraignment and said only to reply nan judge’s yes aliases nary questions. He has been free connected enslaved since his first tribunal quality successful Oregon.

Billups was arguably nan astir salient sanction among much than 30 charged successful past month’s sprawling national takedown of forbidden gambling operations linked to master sports. The different defendants were besides expected to look successful nan Brooklyn tribunal for Monday’s proceedings, successful which nan judge, prosecutors and defense lawyers will astir apt talk adjacent steps successful nan case.

Prosecutors opportunity nan 49-year-old Denver native, who was inducted into nan Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame past year, was progressive successful a strategy to rig mafia-backed forbidden poker games successful Manhattan, Las Vegas, Miami and nan Hamptons.

Former NBA subordinate and adjunct coach Damon Jones was besides arrested successful nan alleged scheme, which prosecutors opportunity utilized a scope of blase exertion that allowed nan gambling to beryllium rigged, specified arsenic altered card-shuffling machines, hidden cameras successful poker spot trays, typical sunglasses and moreover X-ray instrumentality built into nan array to publication cards.

Jones was besides charged along pinch Miami Heat defender Terry Rozier successful a abstracted strategy astatine nan aforesaid clip that allowed gamblers to utilization insider accusation astir players to triumph bets connected NBA games.

Prosecutors opportunity nan poker strategy Billups was progressive successful defrauded victims of an estimated $7m, starting successful astatine slightest 2019. They opportunity he served arsenic a personage “face card” who could tie wealthy, unsuspecting players to nan games. Prosecutors said during 1 game, nan scheme’s organizers exchanged messages saying 1 of nan victims “acted for illustration he wanted Chauncey to person his money” because he was “starstruck.”

Prosecutors opportunity Billups, who earned astir $106m from his playing days, received a information of nan profits from nan scheme. After 1 rigged crippled successful October 2020, for example, they opportunity he was wired $50,000.

The strategy organizers besides had to stock a information of their proceeds pinch nan Gambino, Genovese and Bonanno mob families for operating wrong nan forbidden poker games tally by nan New York criminal enterprises, prosecutors said. Mafia members, successful turn, helped perpetrate convulsive acts, including assault, extortion and robbery, to guarantee repayment of debts and nan continued occurrence of nan operation, they said.

Billups played 17 years successful nan NBA, pinch stints pinch nan Toronto Raptors, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks and Los Angeles Clippers. But he is possibly astir beloved successful Detroit, wherever he earned nan nickname “Mr Big Shot” for his knack for making clutch plays.

Billups was named nan NBA Finals MVP during nan Pistons’ title tally successful 2004 and had his No 1 jersey retired by nan team. After retiring successful 2014, Billups embarked connected a profession arsenic a TV expert earlier pivoting to coaching.

He was hired arsenic Portland’s coach successful 2021 and signed a multiyear hold pinch nan Trail Blazers earlier this twelvemonth aft nan squad missed retired connected nan playoffs for nan 4th consecutive play successful 2024. Billups antecedently served arsenic an adjunct coach connected nan Los Angeles Clippers. After his arrest, he was placed connected unpaid time off and nan Trail Blazers named adjunct coach and erstwhile NBA subordinate Tiago Splitter arsenic interim coach.