Chauncey Billups pleaded not guilty in Brooklyn federal court to wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy charges in a mafia-backed illegal poker operation that led to his suspension by the Portland Trail Blazers without pay. Other former NBA players, including Damon Jones and Terry Rozier, are also charged, while the FBI's "Operation Royal Flush" targets a network that allegedly rigged high-stakes poker games using cheating technology and insider information. US District Judge
Ramon Reyes set Billups’ bond at $5 million and scheduled further hearings, as prosecutors claim the scheme defrauded victims of about $7 million since at least 2019.