NEW YORK — Former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones on Tuesday became the first person to plead guilty in a gambling probe that has resulted in the arrests of 30 people, including other basketball figures and reputed members of at least three organized crime families.
Jones, 49, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a federal court in Brooklyn, New York, The Associated Press reported.
The 11-year NBA veteran and former Cleveland Cavaliers assistant changed his plea to guilty. Sentencing guidelines call for a prison term between 21 and 27 months, the news organization reported.
Jones read a prepared statement to the court apologizing for conspiring to defraud sports betting companies by taking advantage of “insider information,” the AP reported.
“I would like to sincerely apologize to the court, my family, my peers and also the National Basketball Association,” Jones said, adding that his actions violated the league’s code of conduct and the terms of service on sports betting websites.
According to the indictment handed down in March, Jones allegedly sold or tried to profit from inside information so that others could bet on it.
Jones was arrested in October along with Portland Trail Blazers coach and basketball Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier.
Bettor Marves Fairley allegedly paid Jones approximately $2,500 for a tip involving the Lakers’ Anthony Davis, which claimed the guard would not play much against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Jan. 15, 2024.
Farley placed a $100,000 bet on the Thunder to win, but the information about Davis was wrong, and the Lakers won. Farley demanded a refund on the $2,500 he paid to Jones.
According to court filings, Jones is also charged with profiting from rigged poker games, the AP reported.
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