NEW YORK (AP) β Former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones is set to plead guilty Tuesday to charges he cashed in on rigged poker games and gave sports bettors nonpublic injury information about stars, including his one-time teammate LeBron James.
Barring a last-minute change, Jones will become the first person to plead guilty in a gambling sweep that led to the arrests of more than 30 people, including reputed mobsters and other basketball figures.
None of the other defendants have shown a willingness to plead guilty. On Monday, prosecutors said they were seeking additional charges against a co-defendant in the betting case, former Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier.
Jones, 49, is scheduled to appear at back-to-back plea change hearings in Brooklyn federal court before Magistriate Judge Joseph Marutollo. Court records show he is expected to plead guilty to at least one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Jones previously pleaded not guilty in both cases to charges of wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy. Both charges carry a maximum punishment of 20 years in prison. He remains free on bail.
Jonesβ lawyer, Kenneth Montgomery, declined to comment.
Jones was arrested last October along with Rozier, Portland Trail Blazers head coach and Basketball Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups, and others, including a sports bettor accused of cashing in on injury information.
Jones was one of three people charged in both the poker and sports betting schemes.
Jones, originally from Galveston, Texas, earned more than $20 million playing for 10 teams in 11 seasons from 1999 to 2009. He and James played together in Cleveland from 2005 to 2008, and Jones served as an unofficial assistant coach for Jamesβ Los Angeles Lakers during the 2022-2023 season.
Prosecutors say Jones sold or attempted to sell nonpublic information to bettors that James and former Lakers forward Anthony Davis were injured and either wouldnβt be playing or would play less time in certain games.
In the poker scheme, prosecutors say Jones was among former NBA players used to lure unwitting players into poker games that were rigged using altered shuffling machines, hidden cameras, special sunglasses and even X-ray equipment built into the table.
According to the indictment, Jones was paid $2,500 for a game in the Hamptons where he was instructed to cheat by paying close attention to others involved in the scheme. When in doubt, Jones was told to fold his hand, prosecutors said.
In response, according to prosecutors, Jones texted: βYβall know I know what Iβm doing!!β
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) β Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard made it clear in January he was going to make the defense younger and faster.
He delivered on that promise repeatedly during the three-day NFL draft.
Indy beefed up its thinnest position by using two of its first four picks on linebackers then added a hard-hitting, playmaking safety and a speedy edge rusher as the next steps in what has become a a major offseason overhaul.
Now the Colts will see how it all fits, starting with top selection CJ Allen of Georgia who is expected to be an immediate starter at middle linebacker.
βOne of the good things about the system heβs coming from (Georgia) is they put a lot on the (middle linebacker), a lot of adjustments,β Ballard said of the first team All-American after making his first selection at No. 53 overall Friday. βSo we think heβs going to be able to handle (the transition) pretty well. We spent a lot of time β I know, (James) Bettcher, our linebackers coach, I know he grilled him pretty hard and came across raving about his IQβ
The 21-year-old Allen ran a 4.47-second 40-yard dash and called defensive plays each of the past two seasons at Georgia, making him an ideal match to replace 29-year-old Zaire Franklin, a former team captain who was traded to Green Bay in March after his fourth straight 100-tackle season.
Indy's second pick, A.J. Haulcy of LSU, also fit the mold. The 6-foot, 222-pound safety was clocked at 4.52 seconds in the 40 at the scouting combine and earned all-conference honors at three different colleges.
βA.J. is interesting,β Ballard said. "What I love the most is β especially in the transfer world β he goes to New Mexico, starts, goes to Houston, starts, goes to LSU, starts. Takes the ball away. Heβs physical. No, heβs going to be a good addition. We think we got younger and faster on defense.β
Double draftee
Indy's most intriguing pick might be the selection of Bryce Boettcher from Oregon. The 6-foot-1, 230-pound middle linebacker was taken in the fourth round, No. 135 overall, and it wasn't the first time he was drafted.
Boettcher was a 13th-round pick of the Houston Astros in the 2024 Major League Baseball draft but turned down the chance to pursue a baseball career to continue playing football. He wound up leading all Power 4 players with 131 tackles last season.
"Thereβs no better feeling than inflicting pain on someone legally,β he said while explaining why he bypassed a baseball career.
Boettcher noted, his position coach with the Colts pronounces his last name the same way β βBet-cherβ β despite the different spellings.
Holding the line
Ballard also used the first of his two fourth-round picks on guard Jalen Farmer. Indy listed the 6-5, 312-pound offensive linemen from Kentucky as a guard, though some draft analysts think his long body and arms could help him play tackle in the NFL.
He's likely to start out playing multiple positions after Indy lost versatile backup lineman Danny Pinter in free agency.
Home state ties
Indy closed out the draft by selecting Caden Curry of Ohio State in the sixth round, a 6-3, 257-pound defensive end who played high school football in suburban Indianapolis and former Purdue receiver Deion Burks in the seventh round. Burks finished his career at Oklahoma.
βI feel like this is the next step in my career and I can't wait to do it in the city I grew up,β Curry said, wearing a Peyton Manning Super Bowl jersey. βWe're just happy to be here and happy to be so close to home.β
Other picks
Indy also took George Gumbs Jr., who started his career as a walk-on receiver at Northern Illinois before moving to tight end before eventually finding a home β and earning a scholarship β at defensive end. He finished career at Florida and was taken No. 156 overall.
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