Billups officially suspended from the team! Accused of fraud and money laundering, facing jail time, more criminal details revealed

On October 24, Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups was arrested by the FBI for illegal gambling and was charged with wire fraud and money laundering. NBA officials ordered Billups and Rozier to leave the team and suspend their duties; the Trail Blazers officially announced that Billups was suspended and Splitter served as the interim coach.

The 49-year-old Billups has been arrested. The FBI officially announced that Billups was used as a "front" to provide endorsement and as a gimmick to lure victims to participate in illegal and rigged poker games. Billups is charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and wire fraud.

Prosecutor Joseph Nocera Jr. said that these games were a "scam" and that the victims were defrauded by cheating technology. The victims of the cases involving Billups lost more than $7 million. Officials disclosed that the high-tech means of fraud include: gambling tables that can scan the cards with X-rays, special glasses that facilitate reading of cards, and card-shuffling and dealing machines that are easy to operate.

It is reported that this is part of a joint arrest operation in nine states. The official code name of this operation is "Royal Flush". New court documents say Chauncey Billups allegedly won $50,000 from a rigged poker game.

Billups was arrested for illegal gambling and Rozier was suspected of betting on sports. The NBA officially stated: We are reviewing the federal indictment announced today. Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups were asked to leave the team and suspend their duties effective immediately. We will continue to cooperate with the relevant authorities in their investigations. We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness and maintaining the integrity of the game is always our top priority.

The Trail Blazers officially issued a statement: We are aware of the allegations against head coach Chauncey Billups. The Portland Trail Blazers are fully cooperating with the investigation. Billups will be suspended from his duties with immediate effect. The interim head coach position will be temporarily replaced by Splitter. All subsequent developments will be handled by the NBA.

The NBA Players Union issued a statement: The fairness of the game is of vital importance to NBA players, but the principle of presumption of innocence cannot be trampled on. Both of these cornerstones are undermined when a player's reputation is misused to gain attention. We will ensure that members are protected and have due process rights during this process.

Famous reporter Shams revealed that Billups was charged with multiple counts of wire fraud, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years. According to the indictment, Billups told one of the conspirators and a gambler involved in the case that Portland would start to go bad. You know, this may have been last year or the year before last. Apparently, Portland has been in that position for the past few years.

continued: "I read that on or about March 24, 2023, before the Trail Blazers played the Bulls, the Trail Blazers' record was 32 wins and 40 losses. The team had missed the playoffs and only had 10 games left in the season. Before the game, accomplice No. 8 (i.e. Billups) told the defendant that the Trail Blazers would start to mess up and that they would lose games on purpose to improve their chances of getting a better pick in the upcoming NBA draft. The person used this non-public inside information to start betting, betting at least $5,000, $20,000, etc. "

It is reported that Damon Jones, Billups, and Terry Rozier will be subpoenaed today. The NBA is cooperating with the FBI authorities. They are cooperating with the investigation. Rozier and Billups have been immediately dismissed from their respective teams, and both have left the team.

Reporter Sean Highkin reported that Billups just appeared in court in downtown Portland for arraignment and is expected to be released this afternoon. But he was ordered to surrender his passport and was prohibited from engaging in any gambling activities, possessing firearms or traveling except to attend an upcoming court hearing in New York.

Due to the arrest of Billups, the Trail Blazers canceled team training today and also canceled today's media interview arrangements. All Blazers generals have left the team's training base.