NBA icons Chauncey Billups and Damon Jones have recently been indicted for some shady stuff. Prosecutors claim they were key players in a rigged poker scheme where mafia muscle and hidden tech stole millions from high-rollers coast to coast.
A Rigged Poker Web
On October 9, Federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York filed an indictment against a whopping 31 defendants. According to that document, the rigged poker scheme began as early as 2019. At its core were two Manhattan games: the “Lexington Avenue Game” and the “Washington Place Game.”
The indictment explains that the scheme was hierarchical. At the top were members of organized crime, who were in charge and made all the important decisions. The poker setups were allegedly technologically sophisticated, and some people specialized in creating and supplying high-tech gadgets that allowed players to know what cards were in play.
Finally, there were teams of players who actually used these secret devices during the games. These teams allegedly collaborated to exploit the technology, cheating and winning money from unsuspecting players who believed they were playing fairly. A DOJ press release explains that rigged shuffling machines “contained hidden technology” to scan the cards, transmitting the order to an off-site operator who relayed the results via cellphone to a “Quarterback” at the table. This insider would then use hand gestures or chip movements to signal teammates which player held the winning hand.
Mobs Flex Muscle
The games weren’t just fixed — they were backed by muscle. Prosecutors claim that both games were classic fixtures of New York’s illicit gambling scene, “on record” with La Cosa Nostra families, meaning it was operating under that family's “protection” or supervision.
When a gambling operation is “on record” with a mafia family, it pays a share of profits in exchange for being allowed to function without interference from other criminals or from the family itself. The family might offer security, enforce debts, or settle disputes, and generally treats the operation as part of its own business network.
The indictment details a series of violent acts carried out to enforce the illegal gambling operation and maintain Mafia control. When victims failed to pay debts arising from these “games,” there would allegedly be attempts to extort and even beatings. Members of the Bonanno, Gambino, and Genovese families allegedly worked in unusual harmony to ensure payoffs were made.
The complaint quotes one example from late 2022, when a victim known as “John Doe #5” was allegedly punched to coerce repayment. Similarly, “John Doe #6” was subjected to beatings and extortion, with physical violence and threats used to compel repayment of gambling debts. One particularly notable episode involved a gunpoint robbery of “John Doe #7,” in which members of the conspiracy forcibly stole a rigged shuffling machine to use in future cheating schemes.
These games were not just tolerated by organized crime; they were, in effect, part of the organized crime ecosystem in New York.
NBA Legends Serve as ‘Face Cards’
Into that circle, the government claims, stepped NBA bigshots Chauncey Billups and Damon Jones. Billups is the current head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers and a former NBA Finals MVP. Jones is best known as a former NBA guard and current assistant coach for the University at Buffalo’s women’s basketball team. He played for ten teams, including the Cleveland Cavaliers, alongside LeBron James, and the Miami Heat.
Billups and Jones are accused of using their celebrity to entice victims, joining the tables under the guise of excitement rather than conspiracy. The indictment refers to these two as “Face Cards”: their fame served as a lure to draw wealthy victims into “underground poker games that were secretly rigged.” But Billups and Jones didn't just attend these games to attract wealthy participants. According to the indictment, they were active members of the “cheating teams,” knowingly participated in the scheme, and received a portion of the victims’ losses as their own compensation.
Millions At Stake
Prosecutors say the result was a nationwide pipeline of deceit that reached the Hamptons, Las Vegas, and Miami. According to court documents, the fraud ring’s operations resulted in about $7.15 million in total losses, but the financial damage extended far beyond just a cumulative figure.
Prosecutors also highlight individual incidents targeting multiple victims across different locations and time periods. For example, roughly $50,000 was stolen during the April 2019 games in Las Vegas. A single victim lost $1.8 million at the Lexington Avenue games in June and July 2023. East Hampton games in June 2023 resulted in around $150,000 in combined losses, and the Miami games in September 2024 led to another $60,000 being taken.
What’s the government planning on doing about all that money which was allegedly a windfall to the accused criminals? It’s flexing Titles 18 and 21 of the United States Code. Under those laws, the government may seek forfeiture of any property or assets that are obtained directly or indirectly through criminal activity (such as fraud or illegal gambling) as well as any property used to commit or facilitate these crimes. This means the government can seize money, real estate, vehicles, or other valuable items tied to the wrongdoing.
If property that should be forfeited is unavailable — for example, if it’s been transferred, hidden, or diminished in value — the court can order the forfeiture of substitute assets up to the equivalent value. These provisions aim to eliminate the financial incentive for crime and dismantle the resources that support criminal enterprises.
Feds Bring Numerous Charges
Because the operation spanned nine states, the DOJ had to collaborate with the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, the NYPD, and the New York Waterfront Commission. The indictment includes seven specific federal counts related to the scheme. These include a wire fraud conspiracy, the operation of two illegal gambling businesses (the Lexington Avenue and Washington Place games), and a money laundering conspiracy.
Additionally, there are two separate charges under the Hobbs Act, which is a federal law against robbery or extortion that affects interstate commerce. Specifically, the indictment charges two Hobbs Act extortion conspiracies and one Hobbs Act robbery conspiracy, which involved a gunpoint theft of a rigged shuffler machine. Prosecutors say the defendants used threats, violence, and even robbery to collect gambling debts and protect their poker operation—actions that impacted commerce across state lines, fitting the Act’s requirements.
An NBA Pattern?
This case is just one piece of a rapidly expanding scandal at the intersection of pro sports and gambling. In a related federal indictment, Damon Jones is also accused of leaking non-public injury information about NBA superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis to bettors. Is it just a coincidence, or has corruption reached deep into the inner workings of the league? We’ll have to wait for further trial proceedings to find out.
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