Ex-Atlanta Hawks executive gets federal prison time in $3.7M fraud scheme

Investigators said Jones used that authority to secretly funnel money to himself from early 2021 through June 2025.

According to court documents, Jones submitted dozens of fake reimbursement requests and charged personal expenses to corporate credit cards while covering up the transactions through false representations to other employees.

Federal prosecutors said the stolen money paid for luxury purchases and extravagant travel, including:

• $80,000 in trips to the Bahamas and Thailand
• $99,800 in apparel from Saks Fifth Avenue
• A diamond ring worth $115,795.01
• $21,888.90 in Omega watches
• Over $160,000 in concert and event tickets

“Jones turned his dream job as a high-ranking executive for the Atlanta Hawks into an opportunity to steal the team’s funds,” U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said in a statement.

Jones, 46, of Atlanta, pleaded guilty to wire fraud in December 2025. In addition to prison time, he was ordered to pay nearly $3.9 million in restitution and will serve three years of supervised release after completing his sentence.

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