More than 30 defendants face charges in the stunning Brooklyn case as prosecutors prepare plea deals and hint that even more suspects could be charged
Federal prosecutors say an organized-crime, or “mafia,” gambling case known as Operation Royal Flush in the media is moving closer to trial in Brooklyn federal court. The feds allege the operation used famous NBA figures to attract high-stakes gamblers. This case in particular has fascinated the country in part because successful (and now suspended) Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and former NBA player and coach Damon Jones are among the defendants accused of helping promote illegal poker games and sports-betting activity tied to the alleged Mafia operation.
At a hearing Wednesday in the courtroom of Ramon E. Reyes Jr., the judge said he intends to move the case toward a trial beginning November 2, though the exact timeline could still change as plea negotiations continue and the investigation develops. All defendants in the case appeared in court for the hearing. The government actually told the court it expects to offer formal plea agreements to at least 12 of the 31 defendants in the coming days and has been negotiating with attorneys for at least nine others.
Prosecutors claim the operation revolved around high-stakes poker games and sports betting allegedly run with the involvement of the alleged mafia. According to the indictment, well-known former athletes were used as so-called “face cards” or recognizable personalities meant to lure wealthy gamblers and create “legitimacy” for the games. Investigators claim the poker games were sometimes manipulated and used technology like electronic machines that could secretly read players’ cards in order to cheat and win. Billups and Jones were allegedly paid out on games they attended.
In a status report filed March 3, prosecutors said discovery in the case is extensive and ongoing, including more than 100,000 pages of financial and phone records, hundreds of surveillance photos, body-camera footage from arrests and terabytes of electronic evidence taken from devices and Apple iCloud accounts.
Prosecutors also indicated the case could expand even further, causing some jaws in the gallery to drop. During Wednesday’s hearing, the government said the investigation remains active and that additional evidence under review may lead to more defendants being charged. Some of the defendants on the EDNY indictment are also named in the federal NCAA indictment out of Pennsylvania. The next status hearing in the case is scheduled for June 11, when lawyers are expected to address how a potential trial would be structured in a case involving dozens of defendants — more than a typical courtroom can accommodate at once.