NEW YORK — Former NBA participant and assistant coach Damon Jones pleaded not responsible Thursday to prices he profited from rigged poker video games and offered sports activities bettors with nonpublic details about accidents to stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Jones, a onetime teammate of James, mentioned little throughout back-to-back arraignments in federal court docket in Brooklyn, letting his court-appointed lawyer enter not responsible pleas in a pair of instances stemming from final month’s federal takedown of sprawling playing operations.
Jones, 49, acknowledged he learn each indictments and that he understood the fees and his bail circumstances, which embrace his mom and stepfather placing up their Texas house as collateral for a $200,000 bond that may enable him to stay free pending trial.
Jones’ lawyer, Kenneth Montgomery, advised a decide that they “could also be partaking in plea negotiations.” He’s due again in court docket for a preliminary convention with different defendants Nov. 24.
Jones was amongst greater than 30 folks arrested within the playing sweep. The others included reputed mobsters and distinguished basketball figures, together with Portland Path Blazers coach and Basketball Corridor of Famer Chauncey Billups and Miami Warmth guard Terry Rozier.
Sports activities bettor Marves Fairley additionally pleaded not responsible Thursday to prices alleging he cashed in on details about accidents to NBA gamers, together with some that prosecutors say Jones offered to him.
Jones, an NBA journeyman, earned greater than $20 million enjoying for 10 groups in 11 seasons from 1999 to 2009. He and James performed collectively in Cleveland from 2005 to 2008, and Jones served as an unofficial assistant coach for James’ Los Angeles Lakers in the course of the 2022-2023 season.
Based on prosecutors, Jones bought or tried to promote nonpublic data to bettors that James was injured and would not be enjoying in a Feb. 9, 2023, sport in opposition to the Milwaukee Bucks, texting an unnamed co-conspirator: “Get an enormous guess on Milwaukee tonight earlier than the data is out.”
James wasn’t listed on the Lakers’ harm report on the time of the textual content message, however the NBA’s all-time scoring chief was later dominated out of the sport due to a lower-body harm, based on prosecutors, and the Lakers misplaced the sport 115-106.
On Jan. 15, 2024, prosecutors mentioned, Fairley paid Jones roughly $2,500 for a tip that Davis, the Lakers’ ahead and heart on the time, would see restricted enjoying time in opposition to the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder due to an harm.
Fairley then positioned a $100,000 guess on the Thunder to win, prosecutors mentioned, however the tip was flawed. Davis performed his common minutes, scored 27 factors and picked up 15 rebounds in a 112-105 Lakers win, prompting Fairley to demand a refund of his $2,500 charge, prosecutors mentioned.
Jones, a local of Galveston, Texas, who performed school basketball on the College of Houston, is charged in each instances with wire fraud conspiracy and cash laundering conspiracy. As a part of his bail settlement, his journey is restricted to elements of Texas and New York Metropolis. He was allowed to maintain his passport to make use of as identification for flying till he obtains a REAL ID, which his lawyer mentioned ought to occur quickly.
A risk from exterior the 3-point arc, Jones as soon as proclaimed himself in an interview with insidehoops.com as “the very best shooter on this planet.” He performed in each regular-season sport for 3 consecutive seasons from 2003 to 2006.
After his enjoying days, he labored as a “taking pictures marketing consultant” for the Cavaliers and was an assistant coach when the crew, led by James, gained the NBA championship in 2016.
Within the poker scheme, based on prosecutors, Jones was amongst former NBA gamers used to lure unwitting gamers into poker video games that have been rigged, utilizing altered shuffling machines, hidden cameras, particular sun shades and even X-ray tools constructed into the desk.
Based on the indictment, Jones was paid $2,500 for a sport within the Hamptons the place he was instructed to cheat by paying shut consideration to others concerned within the scheme. When doubtful, Jones was advised to fold his hand, prosecutors mentioned.
In response, based on prosecutors, Jones texted: “y’all know I do know what I am doing!!”
The poker scheme typically made use of unlawful poker video games run by New York crime households that required them to share a portion of their proceeds with the Gambino, Genovese and Bonanno crime households, based on prosecutors.
Members of these households, in flip, additionally helped commit violent acts, together with assault, extortion and theft, to make sure reimbursement of money owed and the continued success of the operation, officers mentioned in court docket paperwork.