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For those who aren’t familiar with the NBA, Chauncey Billups is a former professional basketball player and Hall of Famer who won an NBA championship with the Detroit Pistons in 2004. He’s currently the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers.
Now, the 47-year-old is facing serious federal allegations in the U.S., accused of helping the Bonanno, Gambino, and Genovese Mafia families cheat poker players out of at least $7 million in underground games. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Billups and former NBA player Damon Jones were “Face Cards”, star players brought in to attract wealthy participants while the Mafia rigged the games using high-tech devices.
The DOJ says the cheating scheme included X-ray-equipped tables, rigged mechanical shufflers, marked cards, and even sensor-enabled contact lenses and glasses to allow colluding players to see every hand. Information from the shufflers was allegedly relayed to conspirators off-site, who then signaled players at the table.
“This complex scheme included members from four organized crime families, and when people refused to pay because they were cheated, these defendants used threats, intimidation, and violence,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
Professional poker players had reportedly raised red flags as early as 2023 about games “built around Chauncey Billups” in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. One commentator, Matt Berkey, said players were being set up to lose because outcomes were prearranged.
Billups was arraigned in Portland, Oregon, on Thursday and released. He did not comment to reporters. The Trail Blazers have placed him on immediate leave, with assistant coach Tiago Splitter stepping in as interim head coach.
Billups’ lawyer, Chris Heywood, called the allegations “baseless,” saying,
“To believe that Chauncey Billups did what the federal government is accusing him of is to believe he would risk his Hall of Fame legacy, reputation, and freedom. He would not jeopardize those things for anything, let alone a card game.”
The DOJ says the case reveals one of the most advanced cheating operations ever seen in underground poker, blending organized crime, celebrity star power, and cutting-edge technology.
