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Chauncey Billups has hired famed attorney Marc Mukasey, who has defended President Donald Trump in the past, to represent him in the federal investigation into allegations of illegal gambling. The Athletic was first to report the news, and Mukasey confirmed it in an email to PK Press Club Digital.
Mukasey represented Trump and his organization in several cases, including when the New York attorney general sued Trump, alleging his charity was used for personal and political purposes, and when Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. subpoenaed Trump’s accounting firm, Mazars USA, for tax returns and financial records as part of a state grand jury investigation.
Mukasey also represented FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried at the fraud and conspiracy conviction, as well as Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher, who was acquitted of murder.
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Marc Mukasey, attorney for Nikola Corp. founder Trevor Milton, leaves court in New York on Monday, September 12, 2022. (Stephen Yang/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers is currently facing charges of conspiracy to commit both wire fraud and money laundering for knowingly participating in and profiting from rigged poker games.
Billups was allegedly dubbed one of the “face cards,” who the indictment says were “members of the cheating crews and received a portion of the proceeds of crime in exchange for their participation in the scheme.” The scheme caused victims to lose at least $7.15 million, dating back to April 2019, according to the Justice Department.
Billups was “used to lure victims into the games due to [his] status as former professional athletes,” the DOJ said.
Billups was one of five defendants who “organized and participated in rigged poker games” in Las Vegas “using a rigged shuffling machine,” with victims losing at least $50,000. One of the defendants texted another co-conspirator to say that Billups should intentionally lose his hand to avoid suspicion of cheating.
Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups watches from the sidelines during the first half against the San Antonio Spurs at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon on April 6, 2025. (Soobum Im/Imagn Images)
WHO ARE CHAUNCEY BILLUPS, TERRY ROZIER AND DAMON JONES? NBA SUBJECTS ARRESTED IN ILLEGAL GAMING INVESTIGATION
During that match, a defendant said one of the victims “acted like she wanted Chauncey to have his money” because he was “hit by Billups,” according to officials.
In October 2020, Billups allegedly received $50,000 following a rigged poker game.
Billups is not listed in the sports betting scandal that led to Terry Rozier’s arrest. However, the DOJ cited a clash between the Trail Blazers and the Chicago Bulls on March 24, 2023, the day after Terry Rozier’s alleged wrongdoing, in which a co-conspirator, “an NBA coach at the time,” allegedly told a longtime friend, who is also a defendant in the rigged poker scheme, that the Blazers would “tanker” that night for a higher draft pick and would sit some of the best players on the team. The rest of the players were not yet made public. The team’s top four scorers, including Damian Lillard, did not play that night because other co-conspirators allegedly bet more than $100,000 in total against Portland. The Trail Blazers lost by 28 points.
Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups walks toward a vehicle after his appearance in federal court Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, in Portland, Oregon. (Jenny Kane/AP)
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The “co-conspirator” in question is listed as a former NBA player whose career spanned “from approximately 1997 to 2014” and “an NBA coach since at least 2021.” Only Billups meets this criterion.
Billups, through a statement from his attorney, denied any wrongdoing. He and Terry Rozier have been placed on immediate leave from the Clippers, “and we will continue to cooperate with the appropriate authorities.”
“The integrity of our game remains our top priority,” the NBA said.
