Shane Hennen, alleged to be the common thread between a Mafia-backed high-stakes poker cheating operation and two basketball-fixing syndicates, pleaded guilty to conspiracy commit wire fraud on Tuesday. Earlier in the week, Joseph Lanni, 54, of Staten Island, N.Y., pleaded guilty to operating an illegal gambling business. Prosecutors allege the ring featured former NBA player Damon Jones and current Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups as “face cards” whose presence helped lend legitimacy to the operation. (Jones has since pleaded guilty, while Billups has denied the charges and is awaiting trial.) Fifteen of the 31 defendants charged in the poker case have now pleaded guilty.