Twelve additional defendants in the rigged poker case linked to an NBA betting scandal have chosen to plead guilty. US Attorney Joseph Nocella informed the court on Tuesday that these individuals will admit guilt to a charge of wire fraud.
In addition to wire fraud, the defendants are also charged with money laundering, illegal gambling operations, extortion, and robbery.
Chauncey Billups, who resigned as coach of the Portland Trail Blazers following his arrest, maintains his innocence against charges of wire fraud and money laundering. In contrast, former NBA player Damon Jones has opted to plead guilty along with several others. Ammar Awawdeh, who allegedly organized some of the poker games, pleaded guilty last week.
Shane Hennen, a betting tipster previously indicted in relation to spot-fixing scandals involving NBA players Jontay Porter and Terry Rozier, is among those changing his plea to guilty. Hennen has acknowledged his participation in crooked poker games and wagering based on insider information in an interview with The New York Times.
Making a living gambling for years, from hustling in pool halls to selling betting picks online, Hennen defended his actions as reflective of American values. "There ain’t one stockbroker who became rich just by guessing right all the time," he stated. "This is what the United States of America has revolved around, for hundreds of years."
Prosecutors claim that Hennen played a key role in organizing the rigged games, providing technology designed to cheat. This included rigged shuffling machines, hidden cameras, and communication devices that helped orchestrate betting strategies during the games. Investigators have uncovered images of a table designed to read cards from underneath, known as an X-ray poker table.
According to the prosecutors, Billups was involved in the games as a "face card," utilizing his NBA fame to lure in unsuspecting players marked as "fish". In total, the scam reportedly generated over $7 million in illegal profits.
The full roster of those pleading guilty is as follows:
– 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
The indictment specifies that Apicella, Gallo, Minucci, and Ruggiero Jr. are affiliated with the Gambino crime family, while Ziliani is linked to the Bonanno crime family. The two families allegedly collaborated on the poker games but later had disputes at a New York townhouse concerning territorial claims.
The wire fraud charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. However, those who cooperate with prosecutors can expect significantly reduced sentences after pleading guilty.
