Billups’ attorney, Marc Mukasey, entered the plea before U.S. District Judge Ramon Reye, stating his client “denies all wrongdoing.” Billups, dressed in a gray suit and light blue shirt, arrived nearly an hour early with his legal team.
The case includes 31 defendants, all arraigned during a joint status hearing. Federal authorities expect to turn over one terabyte of discovery data as the case proceeds. Prosecutors say the alleged conspiracy defrauded victims of at least $7 million since 2019.
“Operation Royal Flush”: A Mafia-Linked Scheme
Federal investigators say “Operation Royal Flush” involved members of New York’s La Cosa Nostra crime families who allegedly used “violence and extortion to collect debts” from victims ensnared in the poker scheme.
The indictment also links the probe to a broader federal investigation into illegal sports betting—one that has already rocked the NBA.
Former Cavaliers guard Damon Jones, Miami Heat star Terry Rozier, and other pro athletes are charged in related cases alleging insider betting on NBA games between 2022 and 2024. All have pleaded not guilty.
