Co-Defendant Claims Billups Was Not Involved in NBA Gambling Scheme
Jesse M. Cox Published 29/10/2026
A co-defendant who pleaded guilty in an NBA gambling scandal insists that former player and coach Chauncey Billups was not part of the scheme. Eric Earnest pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in federal court. However, his attorney said after the hearing that his client did not receive any inside information from former NBA player and head coach Chauncey Billups.
Billups has not been charged in this case, which also involves allegations that former NBA player Terry Rozier was manipulating his stats to aid bettors. Court documents seem to indicate that Earnest was getting insider information from Basketball Hall of Famer Billups.
The person identified in court documents certainly sounds like Billups
The indictment filed by prosecutors in Federal Court in New York describes someone informing Earnest that the Portland Trail Blazers would be tanking in their March 24, 2023 game against the Chicago Bulls. This co-conspirator is described in court documents as an Oregon resident. It goes on to note that this person is "an NBA player from approximately 1997 through 2014, and an NBA coach since at least 2021."
Those parameters are symmetrical with the path of the career of long-time NBA star Billups.
Earnest told the court during his plea hearing that he had "agreed with another person to place an illegal bet on an NBA game with a sportsbook" around March 24, 2023.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Berman said the government would have proven that the co-conspirator was an NBA head coach when the wager was placed. Federal prosecutors said the coach gave insider information to others. After getting that information, they would use it to make a bet on an NBA game. No name was given to the alleged co-conspirator. He is not facing any charges in this gambling scheme.
Earnest insists that the former NBA player isn't Billups
Sometimes, things don't add up as easily as they appear. Earnest is adamant that the person who gave him the information to make the bets wasn't Billups.
According to reporting by ESPN, after the hearing, Earnest's lawyer Peter Brill told reporters, "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 made the suggestion that the allegation that Billups had provided Earnest with the information is a "fundamental disagreement" with the government.
Marc Mukasey, the lawyer who is representing Billups, offered no comment on Brill's statement when contacted by ESPN.
Billups is facing charges in a separate NBA gambling scandal
Earnest is also pleading guilty to wire fraud charges for his involvement in a case involving allegedly rigged poker games. Billups is also facing charges in this case. He is pleading not guilty.
In his plea statement, Earnest made the admission to playing in poker games that "were rigged against certain players" beginning in April of 2019. According to federal prosecutor Michael Gibaldi, he was preparing to show the court that Earnest participated in these rigged games. These poker games were using shuffling machines that could help predict the hands of players at the table. They were then communicating this information to those allegedly involved in the cheating.
Billups is among 31 defendants facing indictment in this mob-backed underground poker ring. He is facing wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy charges.
Prosecutors are claiming that Billups was acting as what they are calling a "face card." That's a celebrity who uses his status to lure wealthy players into these high-stakes rigged poker games. Those games were operating in cities including New York, Las Vegas, Miami, and the Hamptons.
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