Chauncey Billups appears to be unnamed conspirator alleged to have leaked plan to lose NBA game

Portland Trail Blazers Head Coach Chauncey Billups appears to beryllium an unnamed co-conspirator identified successful a criminal indictment arsenic telling different antheral the squad planned to intentionally suffer a March 2023 crippled against the Chicago Bulls to amended the Trail Blazers' chances of getting a amended prime successful the NBA draft.

Details successful the indictment describing the NBA playing and coaching vocation of "Co-Conspirator 8," who leaked the program to vessel the game, lucifer those of Billups, a subordinate of the Basketball Hall of Fame.

The antheral who received the extremity past shared that accusation with different man, who, with respective others, placed bets with ineligible online bookmakers totaling astir $100,000 that the Trail Blazers would suffer the game, the indictment alleges.

The Blazers mislaid the crippled 124-96 aft their 4 starring per-game scorers for that play did not play.

The indictment, unsealed Thursday successful U.S. District Court successful Brooklyn, New York, does not place by sanction Billups, who is not charged successful the case.

But helium was arrested Thursday successful Portland connected charges successful different federal indictment successful Brooklyn, which accuses him of participating successful a strategy with alleged Mafia members to swindle unwitting players successful underground poker games retired of millions of dollars with high-tech cheating devices.

Billups, who was instantly placed connected permission from his squad by the NBA, is charged with conspiracy to perpetrate ligament fraud and conspiracy to perpetrate wealth laundering successful that case.

In the different indictment, related to sports betting, Co-Conspirator 8 is described arsenic being "a nonmigratory of Oregon" who "was an NBA subordinate from astir 1997 done 2014, and an NBA manager since astatine slightest 2021."

Billups was a first-round prime successful 1997 by the Boston Celtics. He retired successful 2014 arsenic a subordinate for the Detroit Pistons. Billups became Portland's caput manager successful 2021.

Billups' lawyer and cause did not instantly respond to CNBC connected Friday erstwhile asked if Billups is Co-Conspirator 8 successful the sports betting indictment.

The lawyer, Chris Heywood, connected Thursday denied immoderate wrongdoing by Billups successful the poker-related indictment.

"Anyone who knows Chauncey Billups knows helium is simply a antheral of integrity; men of integrity bash not cheat and defraud others," Heywood said that day.

"To judge that Chauncey Billups did what the national authorities is accusing him of is to judge that helium would hazard his hall-of-fame legacy, his reputation, and his freedom," Heywood said. "He would not jeopardize those things for anything, fto unsocial a paper game."

That sports betting indictment accuses six men, including Miami Heat subordinate Terry Rozier and erstwhile NBA subordinate Damon Jones, of a strategy successful which gamblers utilized confidential accusation leaked to them astir the wounded presumption and different details astir NBA players to marque wagers.

Jim Trusty, an lawyer for Rozier, told CNBC connected Thursday that prosecutors "appear to beryllium taking the connection of spectacularly in-credible sources alternatively than relying connected existent grounds of wrongdoing."

One of the players Jones is accused of leaking accusation about, but who is not accused of wrongdoing, appears to beryllium Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James. The indictment contains details astir indictment astir Jones and his vocation arsenic a Cleveland Cavaliers teammate of James, and astir James' wounded presumption successful a crippled Jones allegedly leaked astir that lucifer up with nationalist information.

The indictment says that connected March 24, 2023, the Trail Blazers' grounds was a woeful 32-40 going into the crippled against the Bulls.

"And the squad was retired of playoff contention with lone 10 games remaining successful the season," the indictment says.

"Prior to the March 24 Game, Co-Conspirator 8 told the suspect Eric Earnest that the Trail Blazers were going to beryllium tanking (i.e., intentionally losing) to summation their likelihood of getting a amended draught prime successful the upcoming NBA draft," the indictment alleges.

Co-Conspirator 8 besides allegedly told Earnest, "before the quality was publically announced, that respective of the Trail Blazers' champion players, including Player 1, an idiosyncratic whose individuality is known to the Grand Jury, would not beryllium playing successful the March 24 Game," the indictment says.

Earnest, who is 1 of the radical indicted successful the case, past allegedly provided the accusation astir the Trail Blazers to his co-defendant, Marves Fairley, "so that Fairley could spot fraudulent wagers connected the crippled and stock the profits with Earnest," according to the indictment.

Fairley promised to wage Earnest $5,000 if the stake against Portland paid off, the indictment says.

Fairley, arsenic good arsenic his co-defendant successful the case, Shane Hennen, and different unidentified co-conspirators, past made oregon caused the placement of aggregate bets that the Trail Blazers would lose, the indictment says.

Before the cardinal Portland players were publically ruled retired of playing successful the game, Fairley, Hennen, and others made wagers totaling astir $100,000, according to the indictment, which notes that the betting likelihood and constituent spreads of the crippled changed aft the Trail Blazers made nationalist the wounded presumption of cardinal players.

The Trail Blazers ended the 2022-23 play successful 13th spot successful the NBA's Western Conference, with a grounds of 33 wins and 49 losses.

The squad went connected to marque the 3rd prime of the 2023 NBA draft, selecting Scoot Henderson, a guard.

Earnest and Hennen, successful summation to being charged successful the betting indictment, is charged with Billups and Damon Jones successful the poker-related indictment filed successful Brooklyn national court.

CNBC has reached retired for remark to a lawyer for Hennen. Information astir lawyers for Fairley and Earnest were not disposable connected the nationalist docket for the transgression cases.