NBA coach Chauncey Billups hires defense attorney who worked for Trump, Giuliani

Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups has hired renowned trial lawyer Marc Mukasey to represent him in a federal investigation into illegal gambling, according to two people who were briefed on the matter.

Mukasey, a former prosecutor for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York who specializes in white-collar defense, is the son of former U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey. He has a long history of taking on high-profile cases, most notably as an attorney for President Donald Trump in recent years. His defense of Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher in 2019 led to an acquittal of murder charges. Mukasey also represented Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX, during sentencing following Bankman-Fried’s conviction on fraud and conspiracy charges.

Mukasey and his father worked with former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani as advisers in 2007 during his presidential campaign. Marc also previously worked at Giuliani’s law firm.

Mukasey also represented a key figure in the NBA’s ongoing investigation surrounding the LA Clippers: Joe Sanberg. Sanberg is the co-founder of the Aspiration company that agreed to pay Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard up to $48 million for a no-show endorsement deal and which later sparked allegations of salary cap circumvention. Sanberg pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud in relation to a scheme that defrauded investors of $248 million.

In Billups’ case, Mukasey takes over for attorney Chris Heywood, who handled the coach’s arraignment and released a statement professing Billups’ innocence on Oct. 23.

The 49-year-old Billups was indicted for his alleged participation in a wide-ranging, years-long scheme to defraud card players in poker games that was said to have involved numerous members of the Bonano, Gambino, Luchese and Genovese crime families. His alleged role in the rigged poker game scheme dates to 2019, according to the indictment. He was part of a game that year that took at least $50,000 from victims, prosecutors say.

Billups, who has been placed on unpaid leave by the NBA, was not charged in the indictment of Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier that is centered on sports betting. But he does match the description of Co-Conspirator 8, who prosecutors say tipped off Eric Earnest that the Blazers would rest top players ahead of their March 24, 2023, game. The co-conspirator is described by prosecutors as a resident of Oregon who played in the NBA from 1997 through 2014 and has been a coach since 2021. Billups played in the NBA from 1997 until 2014, and the Blazers hired Billups as their head coach in June 2021.

Billups’ arraignment in the Eastern District of New York is tentatively set for Nov. 24.