Donaghy Will Implicate Other Referees in Gambling, Wire Fraud Case

Former NBA official Tim Donaghy will reportedly give federal prosecutors information that will implicate other referees in some forms of gambling activity as part of his cooperation with government officials.^[1]

A report on 1050 ESPN Radio in New York said Donaghy will give prosecutors as many as 20 names of other NBA officials and will detail their involvement in some form of gambling activity.^[2] The specifics of the gambling allegations are reportedly believed to include betting in casinos, which is forbidden for NBA referees.^[3]

"As far as we know, the misconduct was isolated to one individual, and we'll stand by that until proven otherwise…..We'll review whatever information Tim Donaghy alleges, but as far as we're concerned, the only person whose conduct has been proven wrong is Tim Donaghy. We're dealing with truth, not hearsay, and the truth is that the only person who has pleaded guilty to any kind of wrongdoing is Tim Donaghy,” National Basketball Referees Association director Lamell McMorris asserted.^[4]

On Friday, Donaghy said that he was very upset by what has happened, saying "I'm very sorry about what happened…..I'm not going to say anything beyond that. This is an ongoing case -- I can't say anything else."^[5]

The NBA's collective bargaining agreement with the officials bans gambling by referees, although there is one exception -- officials are allowed to go to the racetrack and bet on horses during the offseason.^[6]

Donaghy pleaded guilty on Thursday to wire fraud and transmission of wagering information and was released on $250,000 bond, faces a maximum of 25 years in prison when he is sentenced Nov. 9; he also must pay a $500,000 fine and at least $30,000 in restitution to the government.^[7]

Federal criminal defense attorney Douglas McNabb has previously discussed the federal crime of wire fraud in his blog, here; and the Donaghy case, here.

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^[1] ESPN Staff, Donaghy to share info about other refs with feds,ESPN.com, August 17, 2007, available at http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2979605 (last visited August 20, 2007).
^[2] Id.
^[3] Id.
^[4] Id.
^[5] Id.
^[6] Id.
^[7] Id.