NBA Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups Charged in Racketeering Scheme to Cheat Poker Players Out of Millions

High-stakes poker players were lured into rigged card games by underworld crime figures, often featuring NBA celebrities, including Chauncey Billups and Damon Jones, who allegedly received a portion of the proceeds in exchange for their participation. Federal prosecutors say the schemes targeted wealthy gamblers who believed they were participating in non-rigged poker games, resulting in significant losses for the victims.

Key Takeaways:

• The indictment outlines alleged schemes to defraud high rollers in high-stakes poker games, including the "Washington Place Game" and the "Lexington Avenue Game" in Manhattan.
• NBA Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups, a former player for the New York Knicks and six other NBA teams, was one of the "Face Cards" advertised to attract unwitting players, who received a portion of the criminal proceeds.
• The rigged games employed card-shuffling machines with concealed technology to read the cards and predict the best poker hand, with information relayed through secret signaling and cellular telephones.
• The scheme involved associates of the Bonanno, Gambino, Lucchese, and Genovese organized crime families in New York, which collected a cut of the profits and used intimidation and extortion to collect unpaid debts.
• Other defendants included alleged crime family associates Ammar "Flappy" Awawdeh, Matthew "The Wrestler" Daddino, and Thomas "Juice" Gelardo, as well as individuals with nicknames like "Sugar," "Albanian Bruce," "Doc," and "Pookie."
• The indictment alleges that players were swindled out of millions of dollars, with some games featuring as many as 20 players.

Statistics:

• 22-page indictment unsealed in federal gambling investigations
• Multiple schemes to defraud high rollers in high-stakes poker games
• NBA celebrities, including Chauncey Billups and Damon Jones, allegedly participated in the schemes
• Card-shuffling machines with concealed technology were used to rig the games
• Secret signaling and cellular telephones were used to communicate cheating information
• The scheme involved associates of four organized crime families
• Millions of dollars were allegedly swindled from high rollers

Sources:

• A 22-page indictment unsealed in separate but related federal gambling investigations ( Cyprus Mail 2022 )

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