A major development has emerged in the NBA’s ongoing gambling investigation, with Eric Earnest pleading guilty to federal fraud charges while denying that former Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups supplied him with inside information.
Earnest, 54, entered a guilty plea to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in New York federal court Thursday, according to ESPN.
However, his attorney, Peter Brill, pushed back against allegations connecting Billups to the illegal betting activity.
“Our position is that Chauncey Billups did not at any time provide inside information to Mr. Earnest that he used to place any bets,” Brill told reporters.
Brill described the government’s allegation involving Billups as a “fundamental disagreement.”
The case centers on a March 24, 2023, matchup between Portland and the Chicago Bulls.
Federal prosecutors alleged that an unnamed co-conspirator informed Earnest that Portland intended to tank and that certain players would not participate.
The individual was described as an Oregon resident who played in the NBA between approximately 1997 and 2014 before becoming a coach in 2021, details matching Billups’ career.
During Thursday’s hearing, Earnest admitted he “agreed with another person to place an illegal bet on an NBA game with a sportsbook.”
Assistant U.S. attorney David Berman said prosecutors could demonstrate that an NBA head coach had shared confidential information with individuals who subsequently placed wagers.
Billups has not been charged in the inside information case, and his attorney, Marc Mukasey, declined to comment when contacted by ESPN.
Earnest also pleaded guilty Thursday in a separate federal case involving allegedly manipulated poker games.
He acknowledged participating in games that “were rigged against certain players” beginning in April 2019.
Prosecutors alleged that specialized shuffling machines were used to predict players’ hands, with that information secretly passed to participants involved in the scheme.
Billups faces charges in the poker case but has pleaded not guilty.
Earnest faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for each wire fraud conspiracy count, although federal sentencing guidelines suggest considerably shorter terms.
His sentencing hearings are scheduled for March 4, 2027, in the poker case and April 15 in the NBA betting case.
Billups and fellow defendant Terry Rozier are among those expected to face trial in early 2027.
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