Chauncey Billups Pleads Not Guilty in Mafia-Linked Poker Case

• Nov 24, 2025

Chauncey Billups entered a New York federal courtroom on Monday to plead not guilty to charges accusing him of benefiting from Mafia-linked poker games that prosecutors say were secretly rigged across several U.S. cities.

Billups, a Hall of Famer, longtime NBA star and current Portland Trail Blazers head coach, faces charges of money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy. Each count carries a possible sentence of up to 20 years. He is the highest-profile defendant among more than 30 people charged on October 23, 2025, in what prosecutors describe as one of the largest crackdowns on illegal sports-connected gambling operations in recent years.

His attorney, Chris Heywood, has sharply rejected the allegations, calling Billups a “man of integrity” and insisting the government’s case “defies logic.” During Monday’s brief appearance, Billups spoke only to answer routine questions from the judge. He has remained free on bond since his initial court appearance in October.

Prosecutors allege that Billups knowingly took part in a criminal scheme to manipulate high-stakes poker games held in Manhattan, Las Vegas, Miami and the Hamptons. They say the operation used an array of sophisticated technologies to rig outcomes, including altered card-shuffling machines, hidden cameras installed beneath chip trays, specially designed sunglasses and poker tables fitted with X-ray devices capable of reading cards.

According to the indictment, Billups served as a high-visibility “face card” whose fame helped draw wealthy players into games they believed were legitimate. In one exchange cited by prosecutors, organizers said a victim was eager to lose money to Billups because he was “star struck.” Prosecutors accuse the group of defrauding players of roughly $7 million beginning as early as 2019. They claim Billups personally received a portion of the proceeds, including a $50,000 wire transfer after a 2020 game.

The operation allegedly funneled part of its profits to the Gambino, Genovese and Bonanno crime families in exchange for permission to run poker events in their territories. Prosecutors say Mafia members enforced debts through intimidation, assault and robbery.

Billups is not the only basketball figure implicated. Former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones is also charged in the poker scheme, while Jones and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier face separate allegations involving the misuse of insider information to place profitable bets on NBA games.

Billups, 49, enjoyed a celebrated 17-year playing career after being drafted third overall in 1997. Nicknamed “Mr. Big Shot,” he was the 2004 NBA Finals MVP, won a championship with the Detroit Pistons and had his No. 1 jersey retired by the team. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on October 13, 2024.

After retiring in 2014, he moved into broadcasting before being hired as Portland’s head coach in 2021. The Trail Blazers extended his contract earlier this year but placed him on unpaid leave after his arrest, naming assistant coach Tiago Splitter as interim coach.

Reactions to the case have been mixed. Heywood has argued that Billups would never jeopardize his legacy, reputation or freedom “for anything, let alone a card game.” CNN legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Elie Honig said the evidence so far appears “solid but not overwhelming,” noting that prosecutors have not presented messages showing Billups knew games were being rigged.

More defendants were expected in the Brooklyn courtroom Monday as the judge, attorneys and prosecutors continued to map out scheduling and procedural steps in the complex case.