Billups Says He’s Not Guilty in Poker Cheating Case

Portland Trail Blazers head coach and NBA Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups pleaded not guilty on Monday in a Brooklyn federal court. He is one of 31 people accused in a major case that claims pro athletes worked with the mafia to rig illegal poker games.

Prosecutors say the group used the fame of athletes to draw people into high-stakes poker nights. Once players sat down, the group allegedly cheated them by using special tools, including X-ray card tables and altered shuffling machines that let them see other players’ cards. The charges point to the scam commencing in 2019 and stealing over 7 million dollars. Officials say threats and extortion were sometimes used to collect money.

Billups’ attorney, Marc Mukasey, entered the not-guilty plea for him in front of U.S. District Judge Ramon Reyes. Billups is charged with fraud and money-laundering conspiracy, and his legal team has said he did nothing wrong. The 49-year-old coach is in the fifth year of his work at Portland, but now he is suspended.

Former Cleveland Cavaliers player Damon Jones is also facing charges, along with alleged members of New York’s La Cosa Nostra crime families. All the defendants have pleaded not guilty.

This case connects to a larger federal investigation into suspected bet-rigging by pro athletes, an issue that has grown as legal sports betting has expanded across the U.S. In a separate but related case announced in October, Jones and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier were charged with using inside information to cheat on NBA bets from 2022 to 2024. They have also pleaded not guilty.

The focus on sports-related crime has been on the increase. In early November, Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, pitchers in the Cleveland Guardians team, were accused of committing fraud and money laundering, and it is believed that they did so through bet rigging, which relied on their performance in the games that they were pitching in the MLB. They, too, have denied the accusations.

More court dates are expected as the investigation continues, and the legal battles could last well into next year.

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