Summary
Damon Jones, a former NBA player and coach, is expected to plead guilty in a large gambling investigation involving rigged poker games and sharing secret injury information about basketball players. He faces charges including wire fraud and money laundering related to sports betting and poker schemes.
Key Facts
- Damon Jones was an NBA player from 1999 to 2009 and later worked as an unofficial assistant coach for the Lakers.
- He faces charges of wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy connected to gambling schemes.
- Jones allegedly sold secret information about player injuries to sports bettors to help them place bets.
- He is linked to two cases: one involving rigged poker games and another involving insider tips about injuries to players like LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
- The rigged poker games used cheating tools like altered shuffling machines and hidden cameras.
- Over 30 people, including mobsters and basketball figures, were arrested in the gambling sweep.
- Jones was arrested in October 2023 along with figures such as coach Chauncey Billups and player Terry Rozier.
- The gambling operation involved New York crime families like the Gambino, Genovese, and Bonanno families, who used violence to protect their interests.
