Trial date set for Chauncey Billups, others in rigged poker case - ESPN

Pro Basketball Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups, former NBA guard Damon Jones and nearly three dozen co-defendants will stand trial beginning Nov. 2, a federal judge said Wednesday.

All of the defendants appeared for a status hearing inside the United States Courthouse in Brooklyn, where Judge Ramon Reyes set the trial date.

At the moment, there are too many defendants to try at once so federal prosecutors and defense attorneys will discuss how to divvy up the case for trial.

Federal prosecutors said they expect to extend plea offers to 12 defendants in the coming days. At least nine other defendants are having «productive conversations» about pleading guilty, prosecutors said.

The latest filing did not mention particular defendants or say whether Billups is among those considering a plea deal.

Billups and Jones are accused of luring unsuspecting players to poker games rigged by the mob. They and the rest of the defendants, who include purported organized crime figures and suppliers of equipment to rig the games, have pleaded not guilty.

Since the previous status hearing on Nov. 24, defendants have been able to review all the evidence in the case, which has been placed under a protective order by the court.

Here's what you need to know about the arrests that rocked the NBA:

• FAQ: Answering 22 questions on the cases
• Timeline: Sports betting scandals since 2018
• Windhorst: What to know about Damon Jones
• Fletcher: Sports mafia ties run deeper
• Greenberg: How FBI says poker games were rigged

In their brief submitted Tuesday, the prosecutors said evidence includes body-worn camera footage; records concerning the defendants' arrests; electronic evidence seized from seven electronic devices and Apple iCloud accounts; over