Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups is expected in Brooklyn federal court on Monday to enter a plea in a sweeping criminal case accusing the NBA hall of famer of conspiring with the mafia to rig illicit poker games.
The arraignment is set to take place during a hearing for all 31 defendants in the case. Prosecutors say they orchestrated an elaborate scheme using pro athletes’ star power to lure victims to card games then cheat them using hi-tech equipment.
Billups is charged with fraud and money-laundering conspiracy. He has denied wrongdoing through his lawyers.
Former Cleveland Cavaliers guard Damon Jones was also charged in the case, along with alleged members of New York’s La Cosa Nostra organised crime families. They have all pleaded not guilty.
The case is related to a criminal investigation of alleged bet-rigging by professional athletes, which coincides with the explosion of legal sports betting in the US in recent years.
The charges against Billups were unveiled in October alongside a related case charging Jones and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier with using insider knowledge to rig bets on NBA games between 2022 and 2024. Jones and Rozier have pleaded not guilty.