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The head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers has been arrested in connection with an illegal gambling operation, said to involve members of at least three New York-based mafia families.
Chauncey Billups was Allegedly Involved in High-Stakes Poker Games
Chauncey Billups’ arrest by federal agents allegedly involves high-stakes illegal poker games linked to organized crime.
Billups (49) was taken into custody yesterday following a federal investigation into an underground poker ring operating in Manhattan, Las Vegas, Miami, and the Hamptons.
Billups and Other Well-Known Former Athletes Operated as a ‘Face Card’
Billups and former NBA player Damon Jones were known as a ‘face card’ in the operation that targeted wealthy players, termed ‘fish,’ to play alongside well-known former athletes, known as ‘face cards.’ Billups and Jones were allegedly paid to take part in the poker games.
The Poker Games Involved Cheating Mechanisms
Law enforcement officials reveal that the poker games involved the use of cheating mechanisms that used X-ray tables and rigged shuffling devices, and generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal proceeds.
The officials say that Billups’ arrest forms part of a broader gambling investigation that includes charges against Terry Rozier, guard for the Miami Heat.
Billups joined the Trail Blazers as head coach ahead of the 2021-22 NBA season. His appointment followed shortly after a Hall of Fame career that included a 2004 NBA championship and Finals MVP award with the Detroit Pistons. Billups’ arrest occurred a few days after he coached the Trail Blazers against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
This is an ongoing FBI investigation, and more arrests are expected.
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