Twelve more individuals have decided to change their pleas to guilty in a rigged poker case that is tied to a scandal involving NBA sports betting. On Tuesday, US Attorney Joseph Nocella sent a letter to the court stating these defendants plan to plead guilty to a single count of wire fraud.
In addition to wire fraud, the defendants were also charged with money laundering, running an illegal gambling operation, extortion, and robbery.
Chauncey Billups, the former coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, remains steadfast in his innocence. Following his arrest, he has maintained not guilty pleas to charges of wire fraud and money laundering. Notably, former NBA player Damon Jones has also shifted his plea to guilty. Recently, Ammar Awawdeh, who is accused of overseeing some of these poker games, pleaded guilty as well.
Shane Hennen, a betting tipster previously indicted in spot-fixing scandals affecting several NBA players, including Jontay Porter and Terry Rozier, is among those changing their plea. Hennen has admitted to participating in rigged poker matches and using insider information for betting. He has had a lengthy career in gambling, from pool hustling to offering sports betting advice online. In a recent interview with The New York Times, he defended his actions, suggesting that taking such risks is fundamental to American culture, stating, "There ain’t one stockbroker who became rich just by guessing right all the time. This is what the United States of America has revolved around, for hundreds of years."
Prosecutors claim that Hennen helped orchestrate the rigged games, supplying technology that facilitated cheating and profiting from it during participation. The cheating methods reportedly included rigged shuffling machines, hidden cameras, and devices for communication to influence betting strategies. Images have been presented showing a poker table capable of reading cards from below.
Billups is alleged to have participated in these games as a "face card," leveraging his NBA fame to attract unsuspecting players, referred to as "fish." According to prosecutors, the scheme generated at least $7 million in illicit earnings.
The individuals who have recently pleaded guilty include:
– Nelson Alvarez
– Louis Apicella
– John Gallo
– Marco Garzon
– Jamie Gilet
– Shane Hennen
– Horatio Hu
– Zhen Hu
– Nicholas Minucci
– Michael Renzulli
– Angelo Ruggiero, Jr.
– Julius Ziliani
Among the defendants, Apicella, Gallo, Minucci, and Ruggiero Jr. are alleged members of the Gambino crime family, while Ziliani is reportedly associated with the Bonanno crime family. Conflicts arose between these families over control of the poker games in New York. The wire fraud charge carries a potential maximum prison sentence of 20 years, though defendants who reach plea agreements can expect significantly lesser sentences.
