Former Player Damon Jones Pleads Guilty In NBA Betting And Mob Gambling Cases

Damon Jones became the first person to plead guilty in two major, and related, gambling cases one involving the NBA and the other centered around allegedly mafia-run fixed poker games. The former Cleveland Cavaliers star, 49, appeared in Brooklyn federal court on Tuesday (Apr. 28) in front of Magistrate Judge Joseph Marutollo to plead guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. One was for being part of a conspiracy to place bets on NBA games using non-public information that he obtained as a result of his connections with people in the league. The second was for a separate case, known as Operation Royal Flush, where Jones admitted to playing the role of a “face card” a high-profile person meant to draw players in in fixed poker games allegedly controlled by numerous Mafia families. Several people, including Jones, are charged in both cases. Jones, represented by his attorney Kenneth Montgomery admitted in the NBA case that he had entered into a conspiracy to “defraud betting platforms” using “inside information I obtained as a result of my relationships” within the league. “I would like to sincerely apologize to the court, my peers, my family, and also the National Basketball Association,” Jones continued. In that case, he agreed to a recommended sentence of between 21-27 months of imprisonment, though the final number will be determined at his sentencing in January. He also agreed not to appeal if his sentence is 30 months or less. The maximum sentence he could face on that charge is 20 years. Jones also agreed to pay $35,000 in forfeiture. Among the games Jones for which illegally passed on information to a network of bettors, according to prosecutors, was a January 2024 one in which he allegedly learned that a top Lakers player—identified in reports as LeBron James—was injured. James is not accused of any wrongdoing. Jones was not with the Lakers in any official role at that point, but had been a sort of unofficial assistant coach for the team during the 2022-23 season, and had a relationship with James dating back to their days as teammates in Cleveland. For the poker case in which Jones admitted to knowing the games were rigged, he copped to participating in three illegal games. Two took place in Miami in 2020, and one was in Easthampton in the fall of 2023. “I knew these games were rigged,” Jones told the court. “My role in the conspiracy, I was compensated for playing in these games.

SOURCE