Rigged poker games melded high-tech trickery with NBA star power, prosecutors say

The head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, NBA Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups, has been charged with helping to cheat high-stakes poker players out of millions of dollars through rigged card games allegedly operated by underworld crime figures.

A 22-page indictment, one of two unsealed on Thursday in separate but related federal gambling investigations, outlines alleged schemes to defraud high rollers lured to the games with the promise of playing with NBA celebrities only to be swindled through sophisticated cheating technologies.

Here's a look at how federal prosecutors say the games were fixed:

THE MARKS

The schemes targeted high-wagering, often-wealthy gamblers who believed they were participating in non-rigged "straight" poker games that were illegal but otherwise well established. These included weekly gatherings known as the "Washington Place Game" and the "Lexington Avenue Game" in Manhattan.

THE BAIT

To attract the unwitting players in some instances, the indictment alleged, well-known former professional athletes were advertised as celebrity card-game participants, referred to as "Face Cards." 

Among the alleged "Face Cards," who received a portion of the criminal proceeds in exchange for their participation, was Billups, who played for the New York Knicks and six other NBA teams during his career and won a championship with the Detroit Pistons in 2004.

Another was former NBA guard Damon Jones, who played for 10 different teams but was best known for his tenure with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

THE INSIDERS

Other defendants named in the rigged-poker indictment include accused Gambino crime family associate Ammar "Flappy" Awawdeh, alleged Genovese crime family associate Matthew "The Wrestler" Daddino, and suspected Bonanno