NBA Star Enters Plea, Slapped with $5M Bond in Rigged Poker Games Case
NBA coach and former star Chauncey Billups pleaded not guilty on Monday to multiple charges stemming from his alleged involvement in a high-stakes poker cheating ring.
Billups is the highest-profile figure of the more than two dozen individuals indicted last month in the bombshell case. The Portland Trail Blazers coach and former Detroit Pistons point guard, who prosecutors say was a "face card" in mafia-tied poker games that cheated victims out of millions, appeared in federal court in New York City on charges of wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy.
Later on Monday, U.S. District Judge Ramon E. Reyes released Billups on a $5 million bond. According to NBC News, Billups used his Colorado home as collateral for the bond, which includes several conditions, including that he cannot gamble or associate with any members of organized crime.
Plea Deals Coming?
The indictment has rocked both the sports and gambling worlds as more than two dozen defendants are accused of taking part in a high-stakes, high-tech poker cheating ring tied to the Bonanno, Gambino, and Genovese crime families.
Prosecutors allege that big-name athletes, including Billups, were used to lure victims to the games, which took place across the U.S. in the Hamptons, Las Vegas, Miami and Manhattan. One victim was allegedly cheated out of $1.8 million in just a few sessions in New York City in 2023.
The games were supposedly cheated using a variety of high-tech methods, including rigged shuffling machines, poker chip tray analyzers and x-ray tables. Prosecutors say this technology was provided by Tony Goodson of Georgia, Curtis "Curt" Meeks of Texas, Shane "Sugar" Hennen of Pennsylvania, and Robert "Black Rob" Stroud of Kentucky.
Billups' 30 co-defendants are also scheduled to appear in court on Monday, including fellow former basketball pro Damon Jones and alleged game runners Ammar Awawdeh, Saul Becher, John Gallo, Zhen Hu, and Seth Trustman.
Yahoo Sports reported that a recent court filing revealed that "several defendants" are in the early stage of discussing plea deals.
Billups, 49, was put on leave from his head coaching gig with the Trail Blazers after being indicted. He was replaced by Tiago Splitter, who is currently serving in an interim role.
*Lead image courtesy Wikimedia Commons
