Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups formally pleaded not guilty on Monday in a New York federal court, facing charges related to a mafia-associated cheating poker game. The newly inducted Hall of Fame coach is accused of money laundering and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, with each charge carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Court Proceedings and Charge Details
Billups appeared in Brooklyn Federal Court, responding to the judge's questions with brief words. He is being tried alongside 30 other co-defendants, including two gang members who have been denied bail. Honestly, the hearing, held in an immigration naturalization ceremony court, lasted nearly two hours and mainly dealt with procedural issues. Billups has hired Mark Mukasey, a lawyer who previously defended Trump, who has described him as a "man of integrity" and denied all charges.
Complexity of the Case and Related Persons
Judge Reyes described the case as "complex," involving manipulation of poker games, extortion, and robbery conspiracies. Besides Billups and former NBA guard Damon Jones, boxer Curtis Mix is also accused of providing technical support for the cheating game. Prosecutors revealed that some defendants have begun plea negotiations with the government, but the judge refused requests to split the case—more analysis on sports-related gambling cases is available on the PASA official website.
Progress of Other NBA Gambling Cases
Related to this case is the illegal sports gambling case of former Raptors center Jotai Porter, who admitted to wire fraud in July. Prosecutors accuse five accomplices of profiting by manipulating Porter's game data, with Timothy McCormack earning over $30,000 in two games, facing a sentencing recommendation of 41-51 months. Indeed, gambling issues involving NBA players need serious attention.
————
This article is from "PASA-Global iGaming Leader" gambling news channel:https://t.me/pasa_news
Original deep gambling channel:https://t.me/gamblingdeep
Free data reports: @pasa_research
PASA Matrix: @pasa002_bot
PASA official website: https://www.pasa.news
