Chauncey Billups arrested on charges connected to illegal poker ring
Portland Trail Blazers coach and former Detroit Pistons player Chauncey Billups was arrested on charges connected to an illegal poker ring.
Portland Trail Blazers coach and former Detroit Pistons legend Chauncey Billups was arrested in Oregon on charges connected to an illegal poker ring, the FBI announced on Thursday, Oct. 23.
Billups was charged with one count of wire fraud conspiracy and four counts of money laundering conspiracy, and is expected to make an initial court appearance Thursday.
Law enforcement officials told ABC News that the poker operation had ties to the Mafia. In a news conference, FBI Director Kash Patel said that the operation was tied to La Cosa Nostra, a Sicilian crime organization operating in the United States.
“The FBI led a coordinated takedown across 11 states to arrest over 30 individuals today responsible for this case, which is very much ongoing,” Patel said. “We’re talking about tens of millions of dollars of fraud and theft and robbery across a multiyear investigation.”
Billups coached in the Trail Blazers’ 118-114 home loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, Oct. 22, before facing arrest.
According to FBI Assistant Director Christopher Raia, Billups was allegedly recruited to participate in fixed poker games to make the events appear legitimate.Â
“Victims were attracted to play alongside well-known professional athletes and coaches like Chauncey Billups, only to be unknowingly deceived through rigged shuffling machines, fixing the odds in their favor, as alleged,” Raia said in the news conference.
According to Joseph Nocella, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, defendants in the poker case used “high tech cheating technology” like rigged shuffling machines, X-ray tables that could read cards and special eyeglasses that could read premarked cards to fix games. At this point, it is not entirely known how Billups is alleged to have participated in the poker games beyond his involvement as a player.
Also involved in the poker case is former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones, who played for 10 teams over 11 seasons from 1998-2009, including with the Detroit Pistons in a bench role from 2001-02. Like Billups, Jones is charged with one count of wire fraud conspiracy and four counts of money laundering conspiracy.
The Hall of Famer Billups played for seven NBA teams in his 17-year career from 1997-2014, most notably with the Pistons from 2002-2008, where he helped deliver the franchise’s third NBA title in the 2003-04 season.
In a separate case, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier was arrested early Thursday morning in connection with a surge of bets from a professional gambler in a game between the Charlotte Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans from March 23, 2023. Rozier played for the Hornets at the time, and his case is connected to the scandal that landed former Toronto Raptors big man Jontay Porter a lifetime ban for his role in a gambling operation.
Jones is also involved in the case involving Rozier as one of three overlapping defendants.
Nocella said that the NBA has cooperated with both investigations. According to Patel, the investigations could have further implications for the league.
“Let’s not mince words: This is the insider trading saga for the NBA,” said Patel.
In a statement released on Thursday, the NBA said that Billups and Rozier have been placed on leave from their respective teams.
“We are in the process of reviewing the federal indictments announced today,” the statement read. “Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups are being placed on immediate leave from their teams, and we will continue to cooperate with the relevant authorities. We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and the integrity of our game remains our top priority.”
Neither the Trail Blazers nor the Heat have released a statement on the issue.
Late Thursday night, Billups’ attorney, Chris Heywood, issued a statement to ESPN. It read:
“Anyone who knows Chauncey Billups knows he is a man of integrity; men of integrity do not cheat and defraud others.
“To believe that Chauncey Billups did what the federal government is accusing him of is to believe that he would risk his hall-of-fame legacy, his reputation, and his freedom. He would not jeopardize those things for anything, let alone a card game.
“Furthermore, Chauncey Billups has never and would never gamble on basketball games, provide insider information, or sacrifice the trust of his team and the League, as it would tarnish the game he has devoted his entire life to.
“Chauncey Billups has never backed down. He does not plan to do so now. He will fight these allegations with the same tenacity that marked his 28-year career. We look forward to our day in court.”
Not mentioned in the news conference was former Pistons guard Malik Beasley, who was the target of an FBI gambling probe related to games from the 2023-24 season, when he played for the Milwaukee Bucks. He was no longer considered a target in the FBI investigation as of Aug. 22, however, though an NBA investigation into Beasley is still ongoing.
This story was updated with a statement from Chauncey Billups’ attorney.
You can reach Christian Romo at cromo@freepress.com