Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, a Denver native and former basketball star at the University of Colorado and with the Denver Nuggets, allegedly participated in a years-long scheme to rig Mafia-led poker games through sophisticated technological means, scamming wealthy players out of millions of dollars, according to a sweeping federal indictment unsealed Thursday.

Billups was arrested Thursday in Oregon and faces federal charges of wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy. He’s expected to make an initial court appearance later Thursday. The NBA said the 49-year-old coach would be placed on immediate leave.

The arrest came as part of a massive federal investigation into illegal, high-stakes poker games with ties to organized crime families. A second, rela

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