Trail Blazers Coach Billups Arraigned on Poker Rigging Charges

Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, a Basketball Hall of Famer, is scheduled to appear in Brooklyn federal court on Monday for an arraignment on charges of conspiring to rig illicit poker games with members of New York organized crime families. The 49-year-old faces counts of wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering in a case involving 31 defendants, including former NBA player Damon Jones and individuals linked to the La Cosa Nostra, specifically the Gambino, Genovese and Bonanno families.

Prosecutors allege that the scheme, which began in 2019, used the celebrity status of professional athletes to attract high-stakes gamblers to underground poker games in locations including Manhattan, Las Vegas, Miami and the Hamptons. Once lured, victims were cheated through sophisticated methods, such as X-ray-equipped card tables and modified shuffling machines that allowed players to see opponents' cards. The operation defrauded participants of at least $7 million, with mafia members enforcing debts through assaults, extortion and robberies to ensure payments. Billups is accused of receiving a share of the illicit profits despite his substantial earnings from a 17-year...