As part of his plea agreements, Jones agreed to give up a total of $73,000 and, at sentencing, could be ordered to pay additional sums as restitution.
The first defendant to plead guilty
None of Jones’ co-defendants have shown a willingness to plead guilty. On Monday, prosecutors said they were seeking more charges against another sports betting defendant, former Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier.
Jones was arrested in October along with Rozier and Chauncey Billups, who was head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers and is a Basketball Hall of Famer.
Others charged include Marves Fairley, a sports bettor accused of cashing in on injury information, and reputed members of the Gambino, Genovese and Bonanno crime families, which benefited from the poker scheme and used violence and threats to ensure the repayment of debts and success of the operation, prosecutors said.
Jones was one of three people charged in both the poker and sports betting schemes.
Originally from Galveston, Texas, Jones 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 James’ Los Angeles Lakers during the 2022-2023 season.
According to prosecutors, Jones sold or attempted to sell nonpublic information to bettors that James was injured and wouldn’t be playing in a Feb. 9, 2023, game against the Milwaukee Bucks, texting an unnamed co-conspirator: “Get a big bet on Milwaukee tonight before the information is out” and “Bet enough so Djones can eat.”
James wasn’t listed on the Lakers’ injury report at the time of the text, but the NBA’s all-time scoring leader was later ruled out of the game because of a lower body injury and the Lakers lost the game 115-106, according to prosecutors.
On Jan. 15, 2024, prosecutors said, Fairley paid Jones approximately $2,500 for a tip that Anthony Davis, a Lakers’ forward and center at the time, would see limited playing time against the Oklahoma City Thunder because of an injury.
Fairley, who has pleaded not guilty, then placed a $100,000 bet on the Thunder to win, prosecutors said, but the tip was wrong. Davis played his usual minutes, scored 27 points and collected 15 rebounds in a 112-105 Lakers win, prompting Fairley to demand a refund of his $2,500 fee, prosecutors said.
In the poker scheme, prosecutors say Jones was among former NBA players used to lure unwitting gamblers to 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: “Y’all know I know what I’m doing!!”
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Associated Press reporters Emily Wang Fujiyama in New York and Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, contributed to this report.