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Billups Hires Marc Mukasey as Federal NBA Gambling Probe Deepens

Legal experts say cooperation from those already arrested could extend the case to more names.

Overview

  • Prosecutors have unsealed two related indictments with 34 arrests, outlining an insider‑betting scheme and a separate rigged high‑stakes poker operation.
  • Chauncey Billups retained high‑profile trial lawyer Marc Mukasey after being charged in the poker case, and he has been placed on leave while denying wrongdoing.
  • The poker ring is alleged to have used altered equipment in games tied to organized‑crime protection, with victims losing millions and Billups described in filings as a “face card” used to lure players.
  • In the insider‑betting case, Terry Rozier is accused of tipping a friend in March 2023 that he would exit a game early, and filings describe overlapping defendants including former player and assistant coach Damon Jones.
  • Filings reference a March 24, 2023 Portland game allegedly forecast to be a blowout by an unnamed coach matching Billups’ profile, and separate reporting has surfaced unverified links—such as a Malik Beasley–Ammar Awawdeh connection—while the NBA conducts integrity reviews.