The legal case surrounding Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups took another major step forward this week. A federal judge in Brooklyn has officially scheduled the trial involving Billups and dozens of co-defendants tied to an alleged rigged poker operation, according to reporting from Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.
All defendants appeared Wednesday at the United States Courthouse in Brooklyn, where Judge Ramon Reyes confirmed the case will move toward trial beginning November 2.
However, the complexity of the case presents an immediate logistical challenge.
“At the moment, there are too many defendants to try at once so federal prosecutors and defense attorneys will discuss how to divvy up the case for trial,” Aaron Katersky of ESPN wrote.
Billups, along with former NBA guard Damon Jones and more than 30 other defendants, are accused of orchestrating illegal poker games allegedly manipulated by organized crime groups. Prosecutors claim players were lured into participating in games that had been secretly rigged.
Despite the accusations, both Billups and Jones have pleaded not guilty.
Federal prosecutors revealed the scale of evidence gathered during the investigation, stating that the case includes “body-worn camera footage; records concerning the defendants’ arrests; electronic evidence seized from seven electronic devices and Apple iCloud accounts; over 100,000 pages of financial records and telephone records; over 800 pages of surveillance photographs; and pole camera footage from 147 Lexington Ave. in Manhattan, one of the sites of the alleged rigged poker games.”
Authorities also confirmed the investigation produced massive amounts of digital evidence.
“The government has separately produced approximately 7 terabytes of electronic data from electronic devices and iCloud accounts of individual defendants, which were seized upon their arrests in October.”
Meanwhile, prosecutors indicated the case may shift before reaching a courtroom.
“Federal prosecutors said they expect to extend plea offers to 12 defendants in the coming days. At least nine other defendants are having ‘productive conversations’ about pleading guilty.”
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