Posted on

Ex-NBA star Damon Jones pleads not guilty in gambling and poker conspiracy cases

Ex-NBA star Damon Jones pleads not guilty in gambling and poker conspiracy cases. A man in a dark suit and light blue shirt walks outside a building, looking down with a serious expression.

Former NBA guard and assistant coach Damon Jones pleaded not guilty on Thursday (November 6) to conspiracy charges tied to two separate federal gambling cases.

In the first case, prosecutors say Jones, best known for his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers, shared inside information with sports bettors. According to the indictment, he allegedly told an associate to place a “big bet on Milwaukee” before the Bucks faced the Lakers on February 9, 2023. Prosecutors claim Jones knew LeBron James would sit out with a lower-body injury and passed that information along before it became public.

Jones is one of several people charged in the scheme, a group that also includes Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier.

Damon Jones also pleads not guilty in rigged poker game case

In the second case, Jones is accused of helping lure players into rigged high-stakes poker games, allegedly defrauding them out of millions. Investigators say these games began in 2019 and took place in the Hamptons, Manhattan, Las Vegas, and Miami.

When he appeared in Brooklyn federal court Thursday, Jones wore a dark suit and a blue shirt with no tie, and he sipped an orange Gatorade he bought from the courthouse coffee shop. He entered not-guilty pleas to conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Judge Ramon Reyes noted that Jones may negotiate a plea deal before the case goes to trial.

He was then released on a $200,000 bond secured by his parents’ home in Houston. As part of his release, he is barred from contacting co-defendants, witnesses, or anyone linked to organized crime.

Other co-defendants appear in court

Also appearing in court Thursday was Robert L. Stroud of Louisville, Kentucky. He pleaded not guilty to wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, and robbery conspiracy. According to prosecutors, Stroud allegedly helped stage a gunpoint robbery to steal a specific model of rigged card-shuffling machine for use in the illegal poker operation. He was released on a $100,000 unsecured bond and ordered to avoid gambling and organized-crime contacts while on home incarceration.

Another defendant, Mississippi resident Marves Fairley, also appeared in court. The indictment says Fairley paid Jones a $2,500 fee using a peer-to-peer payment app and was involved in a separate scheme linked to Terry Rozier. Prosecutors claim that while Rozier was with the Charlotte Hornets, he intentionally underperformed in a March 2023 game, helping a betting group win more than $200,000 on prop bets.

According to prosecutors, co-defendant Deniro Laster sold inside information about Rozier’s plan to leave the game early, which guided the group’s “under” bets. Fairley and another co-conspirator allegedly agreed to pay Laster $100,000 from the winnings. Fairley pleaded not guilty to multiple charges and was released on a $200,000 bond. He has also been connected, although not charged, in a separate inquiry into suspicious college basketball betting activity.

NBA and Congressional committee reportedly meet

Meanwhile, the NBA itself is facing growing scrutiny. On Wednesday, league officials met with staffers from the House Energy Committee to explain how the NBA is handling the scandal.

According to ESPN, the conversation covered the league’s relationships with legal sportsbooks and its policies to prevent leaks of sensitive, non-public information that could affect betting odds. Commissioner Adam Silver and Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum reportedly did not attend the meeting.

Featured image: Evan Sidery via X

The post Ex-NBA star Damon Jones pleads not guilty in gambling and poker conspiracy cases appeared first on ReadWrite.

Write a comment

This site uses User Verification plugin to reduce spam. See how your comment data is processed.