NBA champion accused of playing in rigged games
Could face decades in prison if found guilty
Portland Trail Blazers coach and basketball Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges he profited from rigged poker games involving several mafia figures and at least one other former NBA player.
Billups, who won a championship with the Detroit Pistons as a player, was arraigned in a federal court in New York City on money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy charges, both of which carry a maximum punishment of 20 years in prison. Some of Billups’ co-defendants are also charged with running an illegal gambling business and engaging in an extortion conspiracy.
