Overview
- Billups entered his plea in Brooklyn as one of 31 defendants in the sprawling case federal investigators dubbed Operation Royal Flush.
- Judge Ramon Reyes approved a $5 million bond secured by Billups’ Colorado home with conditions that include surrendering his passport, restricted travel, a ban on gambling, and no contact with co-defendants, witnesses or alleged victims.
- Prosecutors said plea discussions have begun with some defendants and will roll out roughly a terabyte of evidence from seized devices, surveillance and financial records, with the next hearing set for March 4, 2026.
- Reyes kept the defendants grouped for now and told counsel he expects trials to begin in September 2026 despite the case’s size and evidence load.
- The indictment alleges a Mafia-backed scheme that used X-ray tables, altered shufflers and hidden cameras to defraud poker victims of about $7 million using celebrity athletes as “face cards,” while Billups denies wrongdoing and remains on NBA leave during an integrity review.