Damon Jones became the first of 34 defendants to plead guilty Tuesday in a sprawling federal gambling case that has also ensnared Hall of Fame player Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and figures tied to organized crime. Jones, 49, admitted in Brooklyn federal court that he used his access as a former NBA player and coach to help a betting scheme and rigged poker games.
The plea makes Jones the first defendant to break ranks in a case that prosecutors say stretches from the NBA to gambling circles in Miami and New York. He was a Lakers coach in 2022 and 2023 and had pleaded not guilty in November to two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud before changing course on Tuesday.
Prosecutors said Jones texted a co-conspirator before a Feb. 9, 2023 game between the Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks, urging him to make a wager before injury information became public. In one message, Jones wrote, “Bet enough so Djones can eat to [sic] now!!!” In court, he acknowledged that he conspired with others to defraud sports betting companies using “insider information that I obtained as a result of my relationships as a former player.”
Jones said the point of the betting scheme was to use inside knowledge of injuries to players to make money gambling. He also said he was paid to use his NBA celebrity to draw wealthy gamblers to poker games in Miami and New York, and that he knew from conversations at those games that the action was rigged and players were being cheated. “I knew these games were rigged and that players were being cheated,” he said.
The case now puts fresh pressure on Rozier, who prosecutors said could face additional charges after they developed evidence that he solicited a bribe during an alleged gambling scheme. The original indictment said that when Rozier played for the Charlotte Hornets in 2023, he told friends he planned to leave a game early with a supposed injury, a move that would have allowed others to place wagers.
Jones did not appear to be finished with the fallout from the case. He is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 6 before separate judges in the two matters, with prosecutors saying he could face a term of 21 to 27 months in one case and 63 to 78 months in the other. In a written statement in court, he apologized “to the court, my family, my peers and also the National Basketball Association,” and added, “I’m really sorry to everyone involved for my actions.”
What began as an indictment touching a former player, a current star and a championship coach now has its first guilty plea, giving prosecutors a cooperating defendant and a possible road map through the wider case.