I knew these games were rigged and that players were being cheated.
In a Brooklyn federal courtroom, former NBA champion Damon Jones became the first defendant to plead guilty in a sweeping gambling investigation that reaches from professional basketball's inner circles to the operations of organized crime families. Jones, who once stood at the pinnacle of the sport he now admitted to betraying, leveraged the trust and access his celebrity afforded him — selling secret knowledge of player injuries and lending his famous face to rigged poker tables where unwitting gamblers lost millions. His fall is a reminder that proximity to power and fame can become its own temptation, and that the lines between insider and exploiter are sometimes crossed quietly, one text message at a time.
- Jones admitted in open court to texting co-conspirators nonpublic injury details about LeBron James — his former teammate — urging them to place bets before the information became public.
- Beyond sports betting, Jones was paid to act as celebrity bait, drawing wealthy gamblers into rigged poker games in Miami and the Hamptons where altered machines, hidden cameras, and X-ray equipment ensured the house always won.
- The victims of those poker schemes lost more than $9.5 million collectively, with proceeds flowing to members of the Gambino, Genovese, and Bonanno crime families who enforced the operation through violence and threats.
- Jones faces a potential combined sentence of up to 63 months in prison across two separate sentencing hearings scheduled for January 2027, and has already surrendered $73,000 as part of his plea agreements.
- Other basketball figures — including former guard Terry Rozier and Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups — remain charged but have not indicated willingness to plead guilty, leaving the full scope of the investigation still unresolved.
Damon Jones walked into a Brooklyn federal courtroom in late April and admitted to betraying the game that had made him famous. The former NBA player, who helped the Cleveland Cavaliers win their 2016 championship and earned over $20 million across an 11-season career, pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud — becoming the first of more than 30 defendants to enter a guilty plea in a sprawling gambling investigation that also ensnared reputed members of organized crime families.
From late 2022 through early 2024, Jones used his relationships with active NBA players to obtain nonpublic injury information and sell it to betting partners targeting major sportsbooks. In one documented instance, he texted a co-conspirator that LeBron James — his former Cleveland teammate, and a player he was informally coaching with the Lakers at the time — was injured and would not play against Milwaukee. "Get a big bet on Milwaukee tonight before the information is out," he wrote. James had not yet appeared on the official injury report. The Lakers lost that night.
The scheme extended into high-stakes poker, where Jones served as what prosecutors called a "face card" — his celebrity used to lure wealthy gamblers into games rigged with altered shuffling machines, hidden cameras, and X-ray equipment embedded in the playing surface. Held in Miami and the Hamptons, these games cost victims more than $9.5 million, with proceeds benefiting the Gambino, Genovese, and Bonanno crime families.
In court, Jones apologized to the NBA, his family, his peers, and the judge. He surrendered $73,000 and remains free on bail ahead of two separate sentencing hearings in January 2027. The sports betting charges carry a guideline range of 21 to 27 months; the poker scheme, after a reduction for his early plea, could bring 48 to 63 months. Other charged figures, including former guard Terry Rozier and Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups, have not indicated any intention to plead guilty.
Damon Jones walked into a Brooklyn federal courtroom on a Tuesday in late April and admitted to betraying the game that had made him famous. The former NBA player, who once bragged about being the world's best shooter and helped the Cleveland Cavaliers win their only championship in 2016, pleaded guilty to using his celebrity and insider access to defraud sportsbooks and rig poker games. At 49, Jones became the first person to enter a guilty plea in a sprawling gambling investigation that has ensnared more than 30 defendants, including reputed members of organized crime families and other basketball figures.
Jones' fall from the sport's inner circle to federal court was swift and specific. He admitted to two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, reading from prepared statements as he acknowledged his crimes to Magistrate Judge Joseph Marutollo. From December 2022 through March 2024, prosecutors say, Jones leveraged his relationships with current NBA players to obtain nonpublic information about injuries—knowledge that gave him and his betting partners an edge over major sportsbooks like DraftKings and FanDuel. In one instance, he texted an unnamed co-conspirator that LeBron James, his former teammate in Cleveland, was injured and wouldn't play against the Milwaukee Bucks on February 9, 2023. "Get a big bet on Milwaukee tonight before the information is out," Jones wrote, adding "Bet enough so Djones can eat." James hadn't appeared on the Lakers' injury report at the time, but was ruled out that evening due to a lower body injury. The Lakers lost 115-106.
The scheme extended beyond sports betting into high-stakes poker. Jones was paid to serve as what prosecutors call a "face card"—his NBA name and face used to lure wealthy gamblers into games that were rigged from the start. In Miami and the Hamptons, he sat at tables equipped with altered shuffling machines, hidden cameras, special sunglasses, and X-ray equipment built into the playing surface itself. For one game in the Hamptons, he was paid $2,500 and instructed to cheat by monitoring other players and folding when uncertain. When told to do this, Jones texted back: "Y'all know I know what I'm doing!!" The victims in these games lost more than $9.5 million collectively—money that prosecutors say benefited members of the Gambino, Genovese, and Bonanno crime families, who used violence and threats to enforce the operation.
Jones earned more than $20 million during his 11-season NBA career, playing for 10 teams from 1999 to 2009. He had remained connected to basketball after retiring, serving as an unofficial assistant coach for James' Los Angeles Lakers during the 2022-2023 season—the very period when he was selling injury information to bettors. In court, he apologized to the league, his family, his peers, and the court. "I would like to sincerely apologize to the court, my family, my peers and also the National Basketball Association," he told the judge. He acknowledged that his actions violated not only federal law but also the NBA's code of conduct and the terms of service of the betting platforms he defrauded.
As part of his plea agreements, Jones surrendered $73,000 and faces potential additional restitution at sentencing. He remains free on bail, but his sentencing hearings are scheduled for January 6, 2027—two separate proceedings before two different judges. In the sports betting case, sentencing guidelines call for 21 to 27 months in prison. The poker scheme carries a steeper penalty: 63 to 78 months, though prosecutors agreed to subtract 15 months in exchange for his early guilty plea, bringing the potential range to 48 to 63 months if the judge follows guidelines. Jones is the first of his co-defendants to plead guilty. Others charged include former Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, who faces additional charges being sought by prosecutors, and Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups, the former Portland Trail Blazers head coach. None have shown willingness to enter guilty pleas. Sports bettor Marves Fairley is expected to become the second person to plead guilty in the investigation.
Citas Notables
I would like to sincerely apologize to the court, my family, my peers and also the National Basketball Association.— Damon Jones, in federal court
I knew these games were rigged and that players were being cheated.— Damon Jones, admitting to his role in poker scheme
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
What made Jones think he could get away with this? He was a known figure, connected to the league.
He had something valuable—access. He knew when LeBron James was injured before anyone else. That information was worth money to people willing to bet on it. The anonymity of online sportsbooks probably made it feel distant, less real than it was.
But the poker games seem different. That required him to show up in person, to use his face.
Exactly. That's where the organized crime piece becomes clear. They needed his celebrity to draw in wealthy players who would trust the game because he was there. He wasn't just selling information anymore—he was complicit in the theft itself, sitting at the table while people lost millions.
Did he seem to understand the weight of what he'd done?
He read apologies from prepared statements. He said he was sorry to the court, his family, the NBA. But he also texted "Y'all know I know what I'm doing!!" when told to cheat at poker. There's a gap between the contrition in the courtroom and the person who was actively participating in these schemes.
What happens to the other players involved?
Rozier and Billups haven't pleaded guilty. The investigation is still moving—prosecutors are seeking more charges. Jones being first to plead guilty might pressure others, or it might harden their resolve. Either way, his sentencing in January will signal how seriously the courts take this.