Former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones accepted a plea agreement, becoming the first to take a deal in the federal gambling investigation that led to more than two dozen arrests.
Jones, 49, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a federal court in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Tuesday, one day after former Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier learned prosecutors were adding charges against him.
"I would like to sincerely apologize to the court, my family, my peers and also
the National Basketball Association," Jones said in brief comments in the courtroom.
Jones confessed to participating in what feds labeled "Operation Royal Flush" and being a "face card" in at least three rigged poker games between October 2020 and September 2023. He said two of the games were held in Miami and he participated knowing the games were rigged.
Evidence shared by the prosecution placed Jones at all three games through witness testimony and text messages recovered from seized cell phones and iCloud accounts and wire activity detected in interstate transfers of funds. The investigation turned up technology that made cheating easy without detection, the prosecution said.
Sentencing was scheduled for January 2027.
His guilty pleas on Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph Marutollo were in two separate federal cases in which Jones is named: U.S. v. Earnest and U.S. v. Aiello.
A sentencing range of five years to 78 months was tied to the case prior to the arraignment late last year. Jones agreed on Tuesday to the terms of forfeiture of no less than $38,000 tied to his winnings during the scheme.
Jones played 11 seasons in the NBA and crossed over with LeBron James in Cleveland and Miami, later coaching without an official title with the Lakers. Prosecutors contended he shared privileged information, including at least one instance involving James' injury status against the Milwaukee Bucks, for the ill-gotten gains of a professionally-tied gambling ring.
The sentence in that case is not more than 27 months.
Jones initially pleaded not guilty in December. He can be credited up to two years for entering a plea agreement.
--Field Level Media
