Earnest Pleads Guilty, Denies Billups Gave NBA Betting Tips — SkimNews
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- Eric Earnest pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a federal court hearing on Thursday, admitting he agreed to place an illegal bet on an NBA game around March 24, 2023
- Peter Brill, Earnest's attorney, stated after the hearing that Chauncey Billups did not provide Earnest with inside information, calling it a 'fundamental disagreement' with the government's position
- Assistant U.S. Attorney David Berman said the government could prove an unnamed NBA head coach supplied inside information for illegal bets, though the coach was not charged and was not named in court
- Eric Earnest also pleaded guilty to wire fraud in a separate case involving allegedly rigged poker games using predictive shuffling machines, in which Chauncey Billups has pleaded not guilty
- Prosecutors estimated Earnest faces 30 to 37 months in prison for the NBA betting case and 63 to 78 months for the poker scheme, with sentencing scheduled for 2027
- Terry Rozier, Chauncey Billups, and other defendants in both cases are scheduled to stand trial in early 2027
Why it matters: Earnest’s guilty plea strengthens the government’s case against high-profile figures like Billups and Rozier, who face trial in 2027. While Billups was not charged in the NBA betting case, the government’s framing of him as the source of insider information—directly contested by Earnest’s counsel—creates legal and reputational risk, especially as evidence from the rigged poker case may overlap.
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