Billups Pleads Not Guilty as Other Defendants in Illegal Poker Case Are Reportedly Discussing Plea Deals

Chauncey Billups has pleaded not guilty to charges relating to allegedly rigged poker games, even as some other defendants in the high-profile federal case have reportedly begun discussing plea deals.

“Multiple defendants” are in the early stages of discussing a potential deal with federal prosecutors, per court documents. The report did not, however, identify which ones may be doing so.

Although it is too early for the government and any of the defendants to engage in substantial plea negotiations, the government and defense counsel for several defendants have begun productive discussions that the government hopes will ultimately lead to resolutions as to several defendants without the need for a trial.

More than 30 people were indicted, including Billups — who currently coaches to the Portland Trail Blazers — and fellow NBA-player-turned-coach Damon Jones. Many of their co-defendants have alleged mob connections.

“The government and defense counsel for several defendants have begun productive discussions that the government hopes will ultimately lead to resolutions as to several defendants without the need for a trial,” court documents read.

Given the mob connections in each case, prosecutors may be most interested in garnering plea deals from the celebrities involved, but Billups, at least, appears determined to fight the charges. The rigged poker games allegedly involved a complex system of electronic cheating and in-person signaling top cheat victims out of more than $7 million. The NBA defendants are accused of playing in the games as bait to entice the victims into playing.

Defendants Plead Not Guilty at Arraignment

Arraignments have begun for the defendants in the cases, and Billups was among those due to appear in court on Monday. His attorney, Marc Mukasey, had said in advance that he would plead not guilty “because he is not guilty.”

That’s exactly what he did, Reuters has since reported.

That plea matched those of the other 30 defendants in the case. However, defendants who have pleaded not guilty can change their plea to guilty at any time, so there is still time for deals to be negotiated before the trial begins.

Along with Billups and Jones, NBA guard Terry Rozier was the other high-profile name in the indictments. His case is different and there’s no alleged connection to the crooked poker games. However, he was accused of fixing the outcomes of prop bets connected to his performance.

Bettors reportedly enriched themselves by wager on Rozier to come up short in various statistical categories in various games. Rozier sometimes allegedly pulled himself out of games by feigning injury to ensure the outcomes of the bets.

His attorney said he plans to enter a not guilty plea on Dec. 8. He also denied Rozier is among the names engaging in plea bargaining.

“We have no reason to engage in plea discussions,” he told NBC News.

The judge in the case said the court hopes to start the criminal trials in September 2026. A case status update is scheduled for March 4.

Image credit: Ajay Suresh via Wikimedia Commons (license)