Prosecutors Close To Extending Several Plea Deals In Chauncey Billups Poker Case

Federal prosecutors in the alleged rigged poker case involving NBA Hall of Fame player and on-leave Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said in court documents filed Tuesday that they expect to extend formal plea agreements to 12 defendants “in the coming days.” Negotiations are underway with several more.

“The government has had productive conversations with counsel for at least nine other defendants, and the government is reasonably optimistic that those conversations will lead to pretrial resolutions as to those defendants,” said the document.

A formal status hearing is scheduled for 2 p.m. Wednesday in the Eastern District of New York courthouse in Brooklyn.

Thirty-one people were indicted on Oct. 23 on multiple wire fraud and conspiracy charges in what federal prosecutors described as a sprawling, Mafia-backed conspiracy to lure high-dollar players into poker games with famous athletes like Billups, then bilk them using tables fitted with sophisticated cheating mechanisms. 

Will Billups get a plea deal?

While it is unknown which players will be offered deals, a former U.S. attorney told Casino Reports that the evidence against Billups from the indictment did not appear to indicate knowledge of the conspiracy.

Those arrested included members of the Bonanno, Gambino, and Genovese organized crime families and Damon Jones, a former NBA player with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat.

According to New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, the scheme collected at least $7 million. Beginning in 2019, games were held in the Hamptons, Las Vegas, Miami, and Manhattan, according to U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr., and were found to have ensnared wealthy former athletes and amateur players.

“The scheme targeted victims known as ‘fish’ who were often lured to participate in these rigged games by the chance to play alongside former professional athletes who were known as ‘face cards,’” Nocella said at an Oct. 23 press conference. “The so-called face cards included the defendant Chauncey Billups, who at the time of the scheme was a former NBA player and is currently the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, and also Damon Jones, a former NBA player and coach.”