Ex-NBA player Damon Jones pleads not guilty amid rigged poker probe

(NewsNation) — Former NBA player Damon Jones pleaded not guilty to charges he profited from rigged poker games and gave confidential information to individuals to help them cheat at sports betting.

Jones, who played 11 seasons in the NBA, including four with LeBron James, is accused of providing nonpublic information about James and Anthony Davis that led bettors to cash in. Jones earned more than $20 million during his pro basketball career.

His mother and stepfather are putting up their Texas home as collateral for a $200,000 bond that will allow him to remain free pending trial.

Jones’ lawyer, Kenneth Montgomery, told a judge that they “may be engaging in plea negotiations.” He is due back in court for a preliminary conference with other defendants Nov. 24. He was among more than 30 people arrested in the gambling sweep.

Others included Portland Trail Blazers head coach and Basketball Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier.

Among other allegations, prosecutors allege 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.”

James wasn’t listed on the Lakers’ injury report at the time of the text message, but the NBA’s all-time scoring leader was later ruled out of the game because of a lower-body injury, according to prosecutors, and the Lakers lost the game 115-106.

In the poker scheme, according to prosecutors, 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. 

Anthony Ruggiero, Jr., an alleged member of the Gambino crime family, had his application to be released on a $5 million bond in the rigged poker case denied by U.S. District Judge Ramon Reyes.