"Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, pleaded not guilty Monday to charges he profited from rigged poker games involving several Mafia figures and at least one other ex-NBA player. Billups, a five-time All Star who won a championship with the Detroit Pistons, was arraigned in a federal court in Brooklyn on money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy charges, each carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison."
""To believe that Chauncey Billups did what the federal government is accusing him of is to believe that he would risk his Hall of Fame legacy, his reputation and his freedom," attorney Chris Heywood said after Billups first appeared in court on Oct. 23, when prosecutors first announced the indictment. Billups, 49, was released on a $5 million bond secured by his family's Colorado home."
"U.S. District Court Judge Ramon Reyes said he hopes to bring the sprawling case to trial by next September, telling lawyers to "do what you have to do." Billups, dressed in a dark grey suit, spoke only to answer yes-or-no questions from the judge. His lawyer, Marc Mukasey, entered his plea. They declined to comment after the hearing. Last month, another Billups lawyer called him a "man of integrity" who denies the allegations."
Chauncey Billups pleaded not guilty to federal charges alleging he profited from rigged poker games involving Mafia figures and at least one other ex-NBA player. He was arraigned in Brooklyn on money laundering and wire fraud conspiracy charges, each carrying up to 20 years in prison. Prosecutors allege the scheme involved mob-backed illegal poker games in Manhattan, Las Vegas, Miami and the Hamptons. More than 30 people are implicated and others face charges including running an illegal gambling business, robbery conspiracy and extortion conspiracy. Billups was released on a $5 million bond with travel and contact restrictions and must surrender his passport.
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