NEW YORK — Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, a Basketball Hall of Famer, pleaded not guilty Monday to federal charges alleging he profited from rigged poker games connected to organized crime and at least one other former NBA player.
Billups was arraigned in U.S. federal court in Brooklyn on counts of money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy, each count carrying a potential maximum sentence of 20 years, according to prosecutors. Authorities say the alleged scheme targeted mob-backed illegal poker games in Manhattan, Las Vegas, Miami and the Hamptons.
Prosecutors have also charged more than 30 people in the broader investigation, with some defendants accused of running an illegal gambling business, and others facing robbery and extortion conspiracy counts. Prosecutors said plea discussions have begun with certain defendants but did not name them.
U.S. District Judge Ramon Reyes set a schedule that he said should lead to a trial by next September, urging the parties to move the case forward. Billups, wearing a dark gray suit, answered the court’s questions only with brief yes-or-no responses while his attorney, Marc Mukasey, entered the not-guilty plea. Both declined comment after the hearing. Another lawyer for Billups previously called him ‘a man of integrity’ and said he denies the charges.
Billups, 49, was released on a $5 million bond secured by his family’s home in Colorado. The judge imposed several conditions, including a ban on gambling, no contact with co-defendants or alleged victims, surrender of his passport, and travel limits to seven states, including Oregon and New York, plus Washington, D.C.
Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame last year, Billups is among the most prominent figures tied to the federal takedown. Prosecutors say former player and assistant coach Damon Jones and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier are also charged in the broader probe; authorities allege others schemed to let gamblers use insider information about players to win NBA bets.
At Monday’s hearing, Billups and co-defendants also took part in a status conference and were ordered to return to court on March 4.
According to the indictment, the poker-rigging operation used altered card-shuffling machines, concealed cameras in chip trays, specialized sunglasses and table-mounted X-ray equipment to surreptitiously read cards. Prosecutors estimate victims were defrauded of roughly $7 million beginning at least in 2019.
Prosecutors say Billups served as a celebrity ‘face’ who could attract wealthy, unsuspecting players and that he received proceeds from the games, including a $50,000 wire transfer after a rigged game in October 2020. The indictment also alleges organizers funneled a share of profits to members of the Gambino, Genovese and Bonanno crime families, and that mob associates used violence, extortion and robbery to collect debts and protect the operation.
Billups’ basketball career spanned 17 NBA seasons after he was taken third overall in the 1997 draft. He played for several teams and earned a reputation in Detroit as ‘Mr. Big Shot’ for his clutch play, leading the Pistons to the 2004 title and earning Finals MVP honors; the Pistons retired his No. 1 jersey. He retired in 2014 after roughly $106 million in career earnings, worked as a television analyst, and later moved into coaching.
Billups became head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers in 2021 and signed a multiyear extension earlier this year after the team missed the playoffs for a fourth straight year in 2024. After his arrest, the Trail Blazers placed him on unpaid leave and named assistant coach and former NBA player Tiago Splitter as interim coach.