The next phase in the federal criminal case against Chauncey Billups will take place next week in federal court.
The embattled Portland Trail Blazers coach is scheduled to be arraigned at 10 a.m. on Monday at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he will face a two-count indictment that charges him with participating in rigged underground poker games.
Billups originally appeared in federal court in Portland on Oct. 23 on accusations of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. As part of a multiyear nationwide investigation by law enforcement agents, prosecutors allege that Billups used his celebrity status to lure gamblers to a fixed poker game. The former Hall of Fame NBA player was one of over 30 people arrested as part of the investigation, which includes two separate cases, features alleged links to the Mafia and spans 11 states.
During Billups’ initial appearance, held at the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in downtown Portland, assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Barrow said he supported Billups’ release under conditions. Billups had to turn over his passport, adhere to travel restrictions to Oregon, Colorado and New York, and prepare to secure a substantial bond with the federal court in the Eastern District of New York, where the case against him will be held.
Billups, 49, was also prohibited from gambling-related activity and contact with his co-defendants, alleged victims and members of the organized crime group La Cosa Nostra.
Federal prosecutors say that Billups is directly connected to a case involving a high-tech gambling scheme that used wireless technology to allegedly defraud unknowing gamblers out of millions of dollars. The underground games, held in Miami, Las Vegas, the Hamptons and New York, used former professional athletes — dubbed “face cards” — to entice and cheat the gamblers.
Billups was also indirectly connected to a second case surrounding a sports-betting scheme that allegedly included the dissemination of insider information about NBA games. While Billups’ name did not appear in that case, his identity matched the description of someone labeled “Co-Conspirator 8,” who, prosecutors allege, told another defendant that the Blazers planned to sit several of their best players for a game against the Chicago Bulls on March 24, 2023.
The information was not publicly known at the time, according to the indictment, and the defendant shared the details with a third defendant to place bets on the game, federal officials allege.
Billups has been placed on unpaid leave by the NBA and has not coached since Oct. 22, one night before he was first indicted.
Attorney Chris Heywood spoke on Billups’ behalf at his appearance in Portland and arranged for his release. But Billups has since hired prominent white-collar defense attorney Marc Mukasey to represent him in federal court, adding notoriety and high-profile case experience to his legal team.
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