The NBA is facing a significant investigation concerning alleged gambling activities involving players from the Los Angeles Lakers and the Charlotte Hornets. The questions are about very grave allegations. Team employees purportedly sold insider injury information to gamblers throughout the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. This recent development sparked concerns about the league’s credibility and compliance with rules.
Mike Mancias, Randy Mims and Jones all have very close, very deep ties to LeBron James. They are members of a small group of a dozen or so team employees that have been contacted by authorities. Promisingly, they’ve taken the initiative to cooperate with the investigation, which has already resulted in serious charges to three individuals.
Federal prosecutors have charged Jones with selling sensitive injury player status information on Lakers players to sports gamblers. He allegedly received misinformation from a team trainer regarding a key player’s injury status. This was right before he hit his nightly three against the Oklahoma City Thunder on January 15, 2024. This is where Jones’ actions get a little more convoluted. He then sent the cuts to co-defendant Eric Earnest, who conveyed the information to identified bettor Marves Fairley.
Alongside Jones, Charlotte Hornets guard Terry Rozier is in hot water with the law. The good news is that Rozier looks set for the game, as he is not on the Wizards’ injury report. He has to show up for arraignment in Brooklyn on December 8. Prosecutors allege that Rozier alerted co-defendant Deniro Laster. He’d given Laster advanced notice about his intention to leave the game early when the team played the New Orleans Pelicans in the first quarter on March 23, 2023. After this purported tip, more than $263,000 was wagered worldwide on Rozier’s performance.
The criminal inquiry also reaches into the orbit of Chauncey Billups, as the former NBA star was indicted in the same indictment for allegedly organizing fixed poker games. An unnamed co-conspirator with a career timeline closely mirroring Billups’ has been accused of sharing non-public information about the Trail Blazers’ plans regarding a key player’s absence in a game against the Chicago Bulls on March 24, 2023.
As the investigation unfolds, an NBA spokesperson stated, “As is standard in these kinds of investigations, a number of different individual and organizations were asked to preserve documents and records. Everyone has been fully cooperative.”
Jones has entered not guilty pleas to wire fraud and money laundering charges in Brooklyn’s federal court. His current case is bound to generate considerable interest as things continue to unfold. This is particularly the case due to his ties to high-profile figures such as LeBron James.
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