Eric Earnest, a key co-conspirator in the inside information gambling case involving NBA player Terry Rozier, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in federal court Thursday. However, his attorney said after the hearing that his client did not receive inside information from former NBA player and head coach Chauncey Billups.
Federal authorities alleged in the indictment that an unnamed co-conspirator told Earnest that the Portland Trail Blazers would be tanking and that certain Portland players would not play before a March 24, 2023, game against the Chicago Bulls. The co-conspirator, described as an Oregon resident who was "an NBA player from approximately 1997 through 2014, and an NBA coach since at least 2021," was not charged in the case, though those details align with Billups' career.
During his plea hearing, Earnest, 54, told the court that he "agreed with another person to place an illegal bet on an NBA game with a sportsbook." Assistant U.S. attorney David Berman said the government would have proved the co-conspirator was an NBA head coach at the time of the wager. Earnest's attorney, Peter Brill, said, "Our position is that Chauncey Billups did not at any time provide inside information to Mr. Earnest that he used to place any bets." Billups' attorney, Marc Mukasey, declined to comment on Brill's statement.
In a separate hearing, Earnest also pleaded guilty to wire fraud in a case involving allegedly rigged poker games in which Billups was charged. Billups has pleaded not guilty. Earnest faces a sentence of 30 to 37 months in the inside information case and 63 to 78 months in the poker case, based on federal sentencing guidelines. Sentencing dates are set for March 4, 2027, and April 15. The remaining defendants, including Rozier and Billups, are scheduled for trial in early 2027.
Source: ESPN NBA · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing