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The defendants acquired information about NBA players that wasn’t available to the public and sold that information to influence their betting scheme, court documents allege.
For example, defendant Damon Jones worked as an unofficial assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2022-2023 season – a position that gave him access to medical information about the players that was not public, according to a court document.
Prosecutors allege that ahead of a Lakers game in February 2023, Jones informed an unnamed co-conspirator that a certain player had an injury and would not be playing that evening, giving the opposing team an edge.
“Get a big bet on
Milwaukee tonight before the information is out! [Player 3] is out tonight,” Jones texted his associate, according to the court document. And, as expected, the Lakers lost that game.
Scheme didn’t pan out every time.
Prosecutors allege that, ahead of a Lakers game in January 2024, Jones learned one of the team’s best players, whose name is redacted in court documents, had an injury that would likely hurt his performance.
Jones and an associate of his sold that information to a sports better, also listed as a defendant in the indictment, for $2,500, prosecutors allege in the court document. That sports better then wagered $100,000 against the Lakers based on the information he bought from Jones, prosecutors allege.
But the player with the purported injury ended up playing in line with his season average, and the Lakers won.
That prompted the sports better to ask for his $2,500 back, which Jones and his associate rejected, according to the court document.