Sports
El Sporting gana la Champions y acaba con la hegemonĂa del Palma
El Sporting se consagra campeĂłn de la Champions de FĂștbol Sala tras vencer 2-0 al Palma, poniendo fin a su hegemonĂa en Illes Balears.
Marca1 min read
Sports
Ex-Atlanta Hawks Exec Lester Jones Sentenced in $3.7M Embezzlement Scheme
TL;DR
Lester T. Jones Jr., a former Atlanta Hawks executive, was sentenced to three years and five months in prison for embezzling $3.7 million. He exploited his position to submit fraudulent reimbursements and unauthorized expenses.
Key points
- Lester T. Jones Jr. sentenced to three years and five months in prison
- Embezzled approximately $3.7 million from Atlanta Hawks
- Exploited control over expense systems and corporate credit cards
- Submitted fake reimbursement requests
- Charged personal purchases as business expenses
Mentioned in this story
Atlanta HawksLester T. Jones Jr.
Photo by Dan Squicciarini/NurPhoto via Getty Images
A former executive with the Atlanta Hawks is heading to federal prison after authorities uncovered a years-long scheme that siphoned millions from the organizationâs finances. Lester T. Jones Jr., once a senior figure in the teamâs accounting department, was sentenced to three years and five months behind bars for embezzling roughly $3.7 million through fraudulent reimbursements and unauthorized corporate spending.
According to the Department of Justice, Jones exploited his control over the Hawksâ expense systems and corporate credit cards to fund a high-end lifestyle. The 46-year-old submitted dozens of fake reimbursement requests and charged personal purchases directly to company accounts, disguising them as legitimate business expenses.
His activity stretched from early 2021 through mid-2025, overlapping with his rise to senior vice president of finance.
Jones joined the Hawks organization in 2016 and climbed the ranks to become one of its top financial decision-makers. By 2021, he had full oversight of the teamâs American Express corporate card program and expense reimbursement platform, giving him near-total visibility into spendingâand the ability to manipulate it without immediate detection. That level of internal access, investigators say, became the foundation of the scheme.
âJones turned his dream job as a high-ranking executive for the Atlanta Hawks into an opportunity to steal the teamâs funds,â U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said in a statement, citing purchases that included luxury apparel, jewelry, and travel.
Among the expenses detailed in court filings were nearly $100,000 spent at Saks Fifth Avenue, a diamond ring valued at more than $115,000, and tens of thousands of dollars in watches and international trips.
Q&A
What was Lester Jones sentenced for?
Lester Jones was sentenced for embezzling approximately $3.7 million from the Atlanta Hawks through fraudulent reimbursements and unauthorized spending.
How did Lester Jones embezzle money from the Atlanta Hawks?
Jones embezzled money by submitting fake reimbursement requests and charging personal expenses to the team's corporate accounts, disguising them as legitimate business costs.
What is the total amount embezzled by Lester Jones?
Lester Jones embezzled a total of roughly $3.7 million from the Atlanta Hawks.
