Former NBA player Damon Jones set to change plea in both gambling cases
Former Cleveland Cavaliers player and coach Damon Jones is set to change his plea on criminal conspiracy charges in a pair of federal gambling cases, according to the court docket.
The charges allege he provided inside information about NBA games used to place illegal sports bets, and, in a separate case, that he helped lure high-rollers to rigged poker games backed by the mafia.
The change-of-plea hearing in both cases has been scheduled for April 28. He is the first defendant in the cases to signal he'll plead guilty.
His lawyer told ABC News the plea agreements do not include a requirement that Jones cooperate with prosecutors against his co-defendants.
Federal prosecutors had no comment.
Jones previously pleaded not guilty in both cases.
He was charged with Terry Rozier and others after federal prosecutors in Brooklyn accused them of helping a network of sports bettors who wagered based on nonpublic information.
Rozier also pleaded not guilty and has asked the judge to dismiss the charges. Oral argument is scheduled later this month.
Jones is accused of using an ad-hoc affiliation with the Los Angeles Lakers to obtain nonpublic medical information about certain players that prosecutors said he sold to co-defendants so they could make bets.
On Feb. 9, 2023, when the Lakers played the Bucks, Jones allegedly sent a text message to a co-conspirator saying, "Get a big bet on Milwaukee tonight before the information is out! [Player 3] is out tonight. Bet enough so Djones can eat." The prominent player in question did not play and the Lakers went on to lose.
The player was not named but is believed to be LeBron James.
In the separate case, prosecutors said Jones was the so-called "Face Card," meaning he used his fame to attract victims to the games because of their status as former professional athletes and was paid a portion of the proceeds from the rigged games.
