04/28/26 10:58:00
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04/28 10:56 CDT Ex-NBA player Damon Jones is 1st to plead guilty in gambling
sweep that led to over 30 arrests
Ex-NBA player Damon Jones is 1st to plead guilty in gambling sweep that led to
over 30 arrests
By MICHAEL R. SISAK
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) --- Former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones became the
first person to plead guilty Tuesday in a gambling sweep that led to the
arrests of more than 30 people, including reputed mobsters and other basketball
figures.
Jones, 49, entered a guilty plea to a single count of conspiracy to commit wire
fraud during the first of back-to-back plea-change hearings in Brooklyn federal
court. Sentencing guidelines call for a punishment of 21-27 months in prison,
and Jones also agreed to forfeit $35,000. His sentencing is set for Jan. 6,
2027, before Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall
Reading a prepared statement to the court, he acknowledged that he conspired
with others to defraud sports betting companies by using "insider information
that I obtained as a result of my relationships as a former player."
"I would like to sincerely apologize to the court, my family, my peers and also
the National Basketball Association," Jones said.
He said the goal of the conspiracy, which ran from December 2022 to March 2024,
was to use his insider knowledge --- which prosecutors say involved nonpublic
information about injuries to NBA stars --- to make money from sports books.
He acknowledged that his actions violated the NBA's code of conduct and also
the terms of service on sports betting websites.
Jones was charged in separate cases with profiting from rigged poker games and
providing sports bettors with nonpublic information about injuries to stars
LeBron James and Anthony Davis, according to court filings.
None of the other defendants have shown a willingness to plead guilty. On
Monday, prosecutors said they were seeking additional charges against a
co-defendant in the betting case, former Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier.
Jones' lawyer, Kenneth Montgomery, declined to comment before Tuesday's
hearings.
Jones was arrested last October along with Rozier, Portland Trail Blazers head
coach and Basketball Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups, and others, including a
sports bettor accused of cashing in on injury information.
Jones was one of three people charged in both the poker and sports betting
schemes.
Originally from Galveston, Texas, Jones earned more than $20 million playing
for 10 teams in 11 seasons from 1999 to 2009. He and James played together in
Cleveland from 2005 to 2008, and Jones served as an unofficial assistant coach
for James' Los Angeles Lakers during the 2022-2023 season.
Prosecutors say Jones sold or attempted to sell nonpublic information to
bettors that James and former Lakers forward Anthony Davis were injured and
either wouldn't be playing or would play less time in certain games.
In the poker scheme, prosecutors say Jones was among former NBA players used to
lure unwitting gamblers to poker games that were rigged using altered shuffling
machines, hidden cameras, special sunglasses and even X-ray equipment built
into the table.
According to the indictment, Jones was paid $2,500 for a game in the Hamptons
where he was instructed to cheat by paying close attention to others involved
in the scheme. When in doubt, Jones was told to fold his hand, prosecutors said.
In response, according to prosecutors, Jones texted: "Y'all know I know what
I'm doing!!"
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