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Damon Jones, former NBA player and coach, is set to plead guilty in a sports-betting case involving leaking insider information and a Mafia-connected poker conspiracy. He was arrested alongside two other NBA stars and 31 suspects in October.
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Former Cleveland Cavaliers player and coach Damon Jones is expected to enter a guilty plea in his sports-betting case, according to a court filing Thursday.
Jones was arrested in a blockbuster pair of indictments in Brooklyn Federal Court in October that also netted two more NBA stars and 31 other suspects. Heâs accused of leaking inside information to bettors before NBA games, and taking part in a Mafia-connected conspiracy to lure high rollers into a rigged poker game.
The other NBA stars indicted include Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups.
On Thursday, a docket entry in the bet-rigging case revealed Jones is ready to take a deal: âDefendant Jonesâs change of plea is respectfully REFERRED to Magistrate Judge Joseph A. Marutollo,â the docket entry reads. Itâs unclear if Jones is making a similar change of plea in the poker case.
Jonesâ lawyer, Kenneth Montgomery, did not immediately return a call seeking comment, and a spokesman for U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella declined comment Thursday.
Jones and Rozier have been linked to bet rigging in seven pro games in 2023 and 2024.
Jones, an unofficial assistant coach for the Lakers in 2022 and 2023, used his position to leak info about a Feb. 9, 2023, game against the Milwaukee Bucks, texting a conspirator, âGet a big bet on Milwaukee tonight before the information is out! [Player 3] is out tonight. Bet enough so Djones can eat to [sic] now!!!â, according to the feds.
Damon Jones is pleading guilty to charges related to leaking insider information to bettors and participating in a Mafia-connected poker conspiracy.
Other NBA players indicted alongside Damon Jones include Terry Rozier of the Miami Heat and Chauncey Billups, head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers.
The court filing indicates that Damon Jones is ready to accept a plea deal, which could have implications for the ongoing investigation into illegal sports betting and gambling activities.
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He and Billups are also accused of acting as the âface cardsâ to lure starstruck big-money gamblers into high-stakes poker games in Manhattan, Las Vegas, the Hamptons and Miami.
The underground gameâs organizers used a variety of high-tech methods to cheat, including an altered automatic card shuffler, an X-ray table, and a poker chip tray with hidden cameras, according to the feds.
Jones sent off text messages about his role in the criminal conspiracy, asking one accomplice to front him $10,000 before one East Hampton game and telling him: âGod really blessed me that u have action for me because I needed it today bad.â
When another accomplice gave him advice on how to play the rigged game correctly, Jones boasted, âLol man yâall call Djones in cause yâall know I know what Iâm doing!! Let me hibachi like Gilbert Arenas.â
Arenas, another ex-NBA player, was arrested and charged in July with running an illegal, high-stakes poker game out of his Los Angeles home.
Jones told a judge back in December he was in plea negotiations.