BROOKLYN — Former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to two counts of wire fraud, one in each of the federal cases that rocked the league in October.
One case alleges an illegal NBA gambling scheme; the other describes a complex plot to rig poker games.
Jones is the first defendant to plead guilty among the 34 defendants listed between the two cases. He admitted Tuesday that he tipped off gamblers using “inside information I obtained as a result of my relationships from my playing career in the NBA.”
Though LeBron James was not named in the government’s indictment, prosecutors accused Jones of giving gamblers information about an injury to a player who was clearly James.
Jones previously pleaded not guilty to both wire fraud and money laundering, but pleaded guilty only to the wire fraud charges Tuesday.
He is scheduled to be sentenced in both cases on Jan. 6, 2027. Jones will also have to pay forfeiture and restitution, the latter of which will be determined at sentencing.
In the poker case, Jones admitted he was “a face card in pre-rigged games” and used his status as a former NBA player to “attract high-end bettors to games.” Jones said he was compensated for participating in the games.
Jones apologized to “all of those who were involved” in the poker case and said “I’d like to sincerely apologize to the court, my family, my peers and also the National Basketball Association” for his conduct in the gambling case.
The 49-year-old was arrested in October and charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. While each charge carries up to 20 years in prison, government prosecutors recommended Jones serve between 21 months and 27 months for the gambling case and between 63 months and 78 months for the poker case, with some time reduced because Jones pleaded guilty before April 30.
Prosecutors accused Jones of providing nonpublic information about NBA players’ health status multiple times, with at least two of them involving James when Jones was an “unofficial assistant coach” with the Lakers. James and Jones were teammates for three years in Cleveland from 2005 to 2008.
James has not been accused of anything, and there is no evidence to suggest his involvement in either case.
Jones and his attorney declined to speak with reporters after they exited court Tuesday.
“As shown by his guilty pleas today, Damon Jones converted his fame and ties to professional basketball into a multi-faceted criminal betting operation,” U.S. attorney Joseph Nocella said in a statement. “He used private locker room and medical information from multiple NBA teams to cheat legitimate sportsbooks. He also, separately, lured unsuspecting victims to high-stakes rigged poker games.”
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Marves Fairley, a Mississippi bettor who is a defendant in both the NBA gambling case and a similar one in college basketball, will also plead guilty, according to a court document filed Monday.
Prosecutors say Fairley illegally used information given to him by De’Niro Laster, a friend of NBA guard Terry Rozier. Laster allegedly told Fairley that Rozier planned to exit a game prematurely while with the Hornets in March 2023.
Jones’s guilty plea comes a day after prosecutors revealed they’re seeking additional charges against Rozier in the gambling case.
Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups is alleged to have played a similar role in the poker games as Jones: using his status to help attract wealthy bettors. At a status hearing in March, prosecutors said they planned to offer plea agreements to a dozen defendants and added they’ve had “productive” talks with at least nine more.
It’s unknown whether Billups, who has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, is considering a plea deal.
Judge Ramon Reyes has told federal prosecutors he wants to start a trial for the other poker defendants on Nov. 2. A status hearing for that case is currently scheduled for June 10.
