Federal prosecutors indicted Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups on Thursday, accusing him of participating in illegal gambling schemes.
Billups, 49, faces charges of money laundering and wire fraud conspiracy in connection with an alleged rigged poker game from 2019. He was one of more than 30 people indicted Thursday in two separate cases tied to NBA figures.
Mugshots of Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier
FILE - This photo combo shows from left, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups. (AP Photo/File)AP
A federal indictment alleges that Billups and other co-conspirators organized and played in a rigged poker game in Las Vegas around April 2019. The scheme allegedly used a rigged shuffling machine to defraud other players out of at least $50,000. Prosecutors accuse Billups and another former professional basketball player of acting as “face cards” to attract other gamblers to the game in exchange for a cut of the profits.
The scope of the FBI investigation left some wondering if Billups was implicated in the second case, which involved sports betting.
In the second indictment, Billups is not a named defendant but is referenced as a co-conspirator. He does not face criminal charges in that case.
The indictment describes “Co-Conspirator 8” as an NBA player from 1997 through 2014 who has coached since 2021 and lived in Oregon, a description that matches Billups.
Prosecutors allege this individual provided insider information to a defendant named Eric Earnest before a March 24, 2023, game, stating that the Trail Blazers would be “tanking” to improve draft odds by sitting several of its best players. Earnest, in turn, provided that information to others, who placed more than $100,000 in bets for the Blazers to lose.
Generative AI was used to structure and organize information for this story. It was reviewed and edited by local news staff.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.