Chauncey Billups pleads not guilty in illegal poker case allegedly linked to mafia

Courtesy: CBS

New York — NBA Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups pleaded not guilty Monday in federal court in Brooklyn, nearly a month after he was among dozens of people arrested in a sweeping FBI crackdown on alleged illegal gambling rings. Billups is facing charges of wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering.

The 49-year-old — who had served as head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers until being suspended by the league in late October following his arrest — was released on $5 million bond secured by his home in Colorado. Billups’ wife, Piper, and daughter, Cydney, appeared in court to sign the bond document. He also agreed to surrender his passport, abide by travel restrictions and report any financial transactions over $25,000.

Billups appeared alongside 30 other defendants in the Eastern District’s massive ceremonial courtroom to face charges over allegations of cheating in high-stakes poker games operated by mafia figures.

The elaborate cheating scheme netted more than $7 million from rigged games, prosecutors said. They said Monday there were at least 25 separate rigged games.

The hearing before U.S. District Court Judge Ramon Reyes also allowed defendants and their attorneys to update the court on scheduling, progress and deadlines for discovery, motion filings and settlement talks in the now-designated complex case.

Prosecutors said plea discussions have begun with some defendants but no formal plea deals have been offered. Prosecutors said the government would be ready to release discovery, which is expected to be more than a terabyte, within two weeks after a protective order is in place and a coordinating discovery attorney is assigned.

There are two federal cases in the crackdown. One focuses on high-stakes poker games while the other concerns a sports betting ring. The second indictment revolves around bets on NBA basketball games, which were allegedly placed using insider information related to injury reports.

The two indictments have a combined 34 defendants, 31 of whom are charged in the poker case.

Former NBA player Damon Jones has been indicted in both cases. He pleaded not guilty earlier this month in both indictments and was released on a $200,000 bond, secured by his parents’ Texas home. Jones appeared in court on Monday.

The indictment in the sports betting case has also ensnared Miami Heat player Terry Rozier, who is accused of providing nonpublic information in exchange for a flat fee or a cut of the profits. In one game in particular, prosecutors allege, Rozier told a co-conspirator that he would fake an injury in order to leave a game early. Defendants charged solely under this indictment did not appear Monday in court.

Several alleged members of the mob appeared in court as prosecutors said many of the rigged ongoing poker games were backed by Mafia families. Most of the 31 accused defendants in the poker case had been released on bond over the past several weeks; however, defendants who prosecutors allege had strong ties to organized crime were not as fortunate.

Angelo Ruggiero, Jr., who prosecutors allege was a member of the Genovese crime family and an organizer of the Washington Place poker game, was denied bail after his attorney offered a bail application of $5 million. Thomas Gelardo, also known as “Juice,” who prosecutors allege is an associate of the Bonanno family, supervised the Lexington Avenue poker game and took a cut of the proceeds, prosecutors claim.

Because there are so many defendants, prosecutors filed a motion last week asking the court to divide the 31 defendants in the poker case into three groups, with each group having 10 to 11 defendants for status conferences for “convenience.” Some defense attorneys opposed the motion, saying the government is trying to “divide and conquer” the defendants. The judge reserved a decision during the hearing on whether or not the defendants would be broken up into groups, saying, “We will keep everyone together for the moment.”

Judge Reyes scheduled the next status conference for March 4 at 2:00 p.m.