Former Nba Player Damon Jones Faces Two Years In Jail After Guilty Plea In Gambling Case

Former NBA subordinate and adjunct coach Damon Jones has go nan first personification to plead blameworthy successful a gambling sweep that led to nan arrests of much than 30 people, including reputed mobsters and different hoops figures.

The 49-year-old entered a blameworthy plea connected Tuesday to a azygous count of conspiracy to perpetrate ligament fraud during nan first of back-to-back hearings successful Brooklyn national court.

Reading a prepared connection to nan court, he acknowledged that he conspired pinch others to defraud sports betting companies by utilizing “insider accusation that I obtained arsenic a consequence of my relationships arsenic a erstwhile player.”

“I would for illustration to sincerely apologize to nan court, my family, my peers and besides nan National Basketball Association,” Jones said.

He said nan extremity of nan conspiracy, which ran from December 2022 to March 2024, was to usage his insider knowledge – which prosecutors opportunity progressive non-public accusation astir injuries to NBA stars – to make money from sports books. He acknowledged that his actions violated nan NBA’s codification of behaviour and besides nan position of work connected sports betting websites.

Jones is owed to beryllium sentenced connected 6 January 2027. The sentencing guidelines for conspiracy to perpetrate ligament fraud telephone for a reward of up to 27 months successful prison. Jones besides agreed to forfeit $35,000. Under nan conditions of his bail, he can’t bet aliases beryllium progressive pinch organized crime figures and he must get tribunal support for slope transfers of much than $10,000, unless they are required for ineligible fees.

Jones is separately charged pinch profiting from rigged poker games, according to tribunal filings. He is owed successful tribunal later connected Tuesday, wherever he’s expected to plead blameworthy again.

None of nan different defendants person shown a willingness to plead guilty. On Monday, prosecutors said they were seeking further charges against a co-defendant successful nan betting case, former Miami Heat defender Terry Rozier.

Jones was arrested past October on pinch Rozier, Portland Trail Blazers caput coach and Basketball Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups , and others, including a sports bettor accused of cashing successful connected wounded information. Jones was 1 of 3 group charged successful some nan poker and sports betting schemes.

Prosecutors opportunity Jones sold aliases attempted to waste nonpublic accusation to bettors that LeBron James and erstwhile Lakers guardant Anthony Davis were injured and either wouldn’t beryllium playing aliases would play little clip successful definite games.

Jones earned much than $20m playing for 10 teams successful 11 seasons from 1999 to 2009. He and James played together successful Cleveland from 2005 to 2008, and Jones served arsenic an unofficial adjunct coach for James’s Los Angeles Lakers during nan 2022-2023 season.

In nan poker scheme, prosecutors opportunity Jones was among erstwhile NBA players utilized to lure unwitting gamblers to poker games that were rigged utilizing altered shuffling machines, hidden cameras, typical sunglasses and X-ray instrumentality built into nan table.

According to nan indictment, Jones was paid $2,500 for a crippled successful nan Hamptons wherever he was instructed to cheat by paying adjacent attraction to others progressive successful nan scheme. When successful doubt, Jones was told to fold his hand, prosecutors said.

In response, according to prosecutors, Jones texted: “Y’all cognize I cognize what I’m doing!!”