Former NBA player Damon Jones pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal charges that accused him of giving inside information to gamblers and helping organize rigged poker games — separate schemes that brought in $10 million in ill-gotten gain, officials said.
Jones, 49, who played for 10 teams during an 11-year career, appeared before a federal judge in Brooklyn, New York, and admitted his guilt to two counts of wire fraud conspiracy.
Sentencing was set for Jan. 6, and the government has suggested that Jones serve 21 to 27 months in prison for the sports betting scheme and 63 to 78 months for the poker scam.
"The loss amount for both cases totals more than $10 million," the Justice Department said in a statement.
A contrite Jones said he regrets his actions.
“I apologize to the NBA, players and my peers,” he said at the hearing.
Jones admitted in court that he “provided insider information” that he “obtained through my relationship with the NBA.”
He wore a black suit, appeared somber and looked straight ahead throughout much of the hearing. Magistrate Judge Joseph Marutollo asked Jones multiple questions to make sure he understood the weight of his admissions.
“Yes, sir," he repeatedly said.
Asked by reporters whether he was relieved he wouldn't be put on trial, he said: "To God be the glory.”
Jones was arrested last year as part of a wide-ranging probe into sports betting and illegal poker involving NBA figures and the Mafia.
Defendants in the gambling sweep included reputed mobsters and prominent basketball figures, including Portland Trail Blazers head coach and Hall of Fame member Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier.
Billups was not mentioned in court Tuesday.
Jones sold or tried to sell information he gleaned from his NBA ties, prosecutors said.
He tipped off gamblers before a Feb. 9, 2023, game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Milwaukee Bucks, knowing nonpublic information that a high-profile Lakers star was injured and wouldn't play.
“Get a big bet on Milwaukee tonight before the information is out,” he texted an unnamed co-conspirator, according to federal authorities.
Power forward LeBron James was out for the Lakers that night because of a sore left ankle and foot. Milwaukee won 115-106.
In court Tuesday, Jones said he and his co-conspirators “planned” the scheme “by exchanging phone calls and text messages ahead of games.”
In the poker scheme, Jones admitted that his name as a longtime NBA player was key to pulling in marks.
“I agreed with others to be a face card," he said. “I knew my presence as a former NBA player would attract high-end bettors.”
He added: “I knew the games were being rigged and the players were being cheated.”
U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella said in a statement that "legitimate sportsbooks" got a raw deal with inside information being shared by Jones.
“As shown by his guilty pleas today, Damon Jones converted his fame and ties to professional basketball into a multi-faceted criminal betting operation," Nocella said.
"He used private locker room and medical information from multiple NBA teams to cheat legitimate sportsbooks."
Sports gambling had been confined to Nevada until the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2018 that states have the right to set their own laws about such wagering.
Since then, sports gambling has exploded across America, with legal bets accepted in all but 11 states. The fast growth of legal sports betting has also ushered in a slew of prosecutions against insiders seeking to fix elements of games, such as score margins or results of individual plays.
Federal prosecutors based in Philadelphia this year secured indictments against 26 people accused of fixing college basketball games in the U.S. and pro contests in China.
Marves Fairley — a central figure in the Philadelphia-based prosecution and the Brooklyn case that involved Jones — intends to plead guilty in both federal cases, court records showed Tuesday.
Fairley's defense attorney could not immediately be reached for comment.
