Chauncey Billups hires notable attorney to represent him

Chauncey Billups is coming prepared ahead of his looming legal battle.

The Portland Trail Blazers head coach has hired respected trial lawyer Marc Mukasey to serve as his attorney amid the ongoing FBI investigation into illegal gambling, per The Athletic’s Sam Amick. Mukasey takes over for attorney Chris Heywood, who represented Billups during his arraignment.

Mukasey has quite the resume of high-profile clients, most notably serving as President Donald Trump’s legal counsel in the past. He also represented FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried during the sentencing portion of his billion-dollar fraud case in 2023.

Mukasey, who previously worked for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York, also has ties to former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Mukasey and his father, former U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey, worked with Giuliani during his bid to become the Republican Party’s presidential nominee in 2007.

The news comes just over a week after Billups’ previous attorney released a firm statement claiming his client’s innocence. Billups was arrested by FBI agents last week and was charged over his alleged involvement in an illegal poker game operation that was allegedly rigged. The card game operation began in 2019 and has ties to various Mafia crime families.