Federal prosecutor: Some defendants in alleged NBA gambling case are in early stages of plea negotiations
Portland Trailblazer head coach Chauncey Billups (c) leaves federal court in Brooklyn on Monday. Credit: Jeff Bachner
The 31 defendants in an alleged mob-linked card cheating case — which also ensnared some NBA figures — just might be getting a little smaller in terms of the individuals involved, it was disclosed Monday.
During a hearing in federal court in Brooklyn, prosecutors said some of the defendants — they didn’t disclose identities — were involved in the early stages of plea negotiations which could resolve the cases against them, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Gibaldi.
Word of plea negotiations came after one of the defendants, Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, 49, entered a not guilty plea through his defense attorney to the charges he faces in the indictment. The other defendants in the case had earlier entered not guilty pleas. Billups, dressed in a gray sports jacket and open-necked white dress shirt, remained free on a $5 million bond and is on leave from the team.
Prosecutors said Billups faces charges of wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy. Investigators have said reputed members of three crime families — the Bonanno, Gambino and Genovese — had roles in the alleged scheme.
During a nearly hour-long hearing, Judge Ramon Reyes Jr. ruled the case, with over a terabyte of digital evidence, along with surveillance photos, search warrant results and other information, was by its nature complex. However, Reyes also said despite the complexity of trying 31 defendants, all of whom were in court, he wanted to bring the case to a conclusion by September 2026.
Billups was indicted in October along with a score of others, including some reputed organized crime figures, for allegedly being part of a card cheating scheme which bilked unwary players out of $7 million over a roughly two-year period. According to the investigators, the defendants relied on electronic card shuffling machines and special X-ray tables to find out what cards players held and assure they lost.
While Gibaldi indicated as many as 25 games were rigged and according to investigators took place in Manhattan as well as East Hampton, some of the games apparently didn’t involved cheating. Prosecutors have alleged NBA personalities were used as "face cards" in the scheme to attract unsuspecting players.
Two of the defendants are being held without bail. Angelo Ruggiero Jr., 53, of Howard Beach, son of the late Gambino crime family captain Angelo Ruggiero, failed a few weeks ago to get released on a proposed $5 million bond. Thomas Gelardo, 42, of Scarsdale, considered by federal investigators to be a member of the Bonanno crime family, is also being held without bond.
Seven defendants with reputed ties to the mob, including Ernest Aiello, 46, of Wantagh, and Matthew Daddino, 43, of Franklin Square, have been charged in the case. Like most of the defendants, both Aiello, said by the FBI to be a member of the Bonanno crime family, and Daddino, believed by the FBI to be a member of the Genovese crime family, are free on bond.
Reyes set the next court date in the case for March 4.
Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.
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