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By Mark Morales, CNN New York (CNN) — Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups pleaded not guilty Monday to charges stemming from a scheme to help lure unsuspecting gamblers to a mob-run poker game they didn’t know was fixed. The Hall of Famer, wearing a gray suit, appeared with his attorney in federal court in Brooklyn along with 30 other members of the scheme. “We enter a plea of not guilty your honor,” said his attorney Marc Mukasey. Billups, Portland’s head coach since 2021, is charged in an elaborate scheme in which marks were lured to participate in rigged poker games in part with the opportunity to play alongside the five-time NBA All-Star as well as others. Billups, US Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said at a news conference last month, knowingly served as the so-called “face card,” to attract the “fish” to underground games in Miami, New York, Las Vegas and the Hamptons that they had no chance of winning. Those involved in the scheme used rigged card-shuffling machines, poker chip trays and even special contact lenses or eyeglasses that could read pre-marked cards, according to the indictments handed down by investigators. In some instances, the alleged conspirators used X-ray tables that reveal cards when they are placed face down. Nocella said the scheme, deemed “Zen Diagram” by the feds, “fleeced” victims out of tens of millions of dollars. One alleged victim lost $1.8 million. The money was then laundered by New York crime families, according to the indictments. Billups is currently on leave from the Trail Blazers. Tiago Splitter is taking on head coaching duties in the interim. Prosecutors discussed the distribution of what they called “voluminous” evidence and argued for a protective order so they could send evidence from electronics seized during arrest, phone records, surveillance images and other pieces of evidence. In all, prosecutors said about one terabyte of evidence would be available on a rolling basis. There was brief discussion to split the large group of defendants into smaller groups, but the judge decided to keep them together for now. All are due back in court March 4, when they will have access to the large ceremonial courtroom. US District Judge Ramon Reyes also told prosecutors that even though there is a lot of evidence and 31 defendants, he doesn’t want the case to drag on. “I want things to start in September of next year,” Reyes told prosecutors. Billups posted a $5 million dollar bond to secure his release. The bond, which was secured by his wife and daughter, used property in Colorado for collateral. Billups agreed to have no contact with witnesses, co-defendants or members of organized crime and was also told not to gamble. He’s also supposed to report any transactions over $25,000, except for legal fees. Billups also had to turn over his passport and had to report any travel to pre-trial services. “Come to court when you’re supposed to, don’t interact with any witnesses who are going to testify against you, and don’t commit any crimes,” Reyes told Billups. CNN’s Dana O’Neil contributed to this report. The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. The post Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups pleads not guilty to crimes stemming from alleged poker scheme appeared first on KRDO.

Por Mark Morales, CNN El entrenador de los Portland Trail Blazers, Chauncey Billups, se declaró inocente este lunes de los cargos derivados de una trama para atraer a jugadores desprevenidos a una partida de póker organizada por la mafia, sin que estos supieran que estaba amañada. El miembro del Salón de la Fama, vestido con un traje gris, compareció con su abogado ante un tribunal federal en Brooklyn junto con otros 30 miembros de la trama. “Nos declaramos inocentes, señoría”, declaró su abogado, Marc Mukasey. Billups, entrenador principal de Portland desde 2021, está acusado de participar en un elaborado plan en el que se atraía a jugadores a partidas de póker amañadas, en parte con la oportunidad de jugar junto al cinco veces All-Star de la NBA, entre otros. Billups, según declaró el fiscal federal Joseph Nocella Jr. en una conferencia de prensa el mes pasado, actuó a sabiendas como la llamada “carta de cara” para atraer a los “peces” a partidas clandestinas en Miami, Nueva York, Las Vegas y los Hamptons, a quienes consideraban sin ninguna posibilidad de ganar. Los implicados en el plan utilizaban máquinas manipuladoras de barajar cartas, bandejas para fichas de póker e incluso lentes de contacto o gafas especiales que permitían leer las cartas premarcadas, según las acusaciones presentadas por los investigadores. En algunos casos, los presuntos conspiradores utilizaron mesas de rayos X que revelan las cartas al colocarlas boca abajo. Nocella afirmó que el esquema, denominado “Diagrama Zen” por los federales, estafó a las víctimas por decenas de millones de dólares. Una presunta víctima perdió US$ 1,8 millones. El dinero fue posteriormente blanqueado por familias mafiosas neoyorquinas, según las acusaciones formales. Billups se encuentra actualmente de baja de los Trail Blazers. Tiago Splitter asumirá las funciones de entrenador principal de forma interina. Los fiscales discutieron la distribución de lo que calificaron de “voluminosas” pruebas y solicitaron una orden de protección para poder enviar evidencia de dispositivos electrónicos incautados durante el arresto, registros telefónicos, imágenes de vigilancia y otras pruebas. En total, los fiscales afirmaron que aproximadamente un terabyte de pruebas estaría disponible de forma continua. Se debatió brevemente la posibilidad de dividir al gran grupo de acusados ​​en grupos más pequeños, pero el juez decidió mantenerlos juntos por ahora. Todos deberán regresar a la corte el 4 de marzo. El juez federal de distrito Ramón Reyes también informó a la Fiscalía que, a pesar de la gran cantidad de pruebas y los 31 acusados, no quiere que el caso se alargue. “Quiero que todo comience en septiembre del próximo año”, declaró Reyes a la Fiscalía. The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. Con información de Dana O’Neil, de CNN. The post El entrenador de los Trail Blazer de Portland, Chauncey Billups, se declara inocente de participar en presunta trama de póker appeared first on KRDO.