A former National Basketball Association referee pleaded guilty on Wednesday to federal charges in a betting scandal in which he gambled on games that he officiated.
Tim Donaghy turned himself over to authorities on Wednesday and admitted his role in the match-fixing scheme that has rocked the NBA and threatens the integrity of results from the past two years.
The 40-year-old referee pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to transmit gambling information.
He faces up to 25 years in jail for the scheme, which was believed to have Mafia ties.
‘The participation of an official of one of the world's premier sports leagues in an illegal betting scheme involving his own sport demonstrates the corrupting allure of easy money,’ US attorney Roslynn Mauskopf said.
Donaghy resigned from the league on 9 July after an FBI investigation led to accusations that he gambled on NBA games and provided confidential information about games to others who could then make wagers based on the inside knowledge.
Two men allegedly involved in the betting scandal, Thomas Martino and James ‘Baba’ or ‘Sheep’ Battista, were also charged with conspiracy and fraud over the case.
The three were reportedly schoolmates.
Betting trends around games involving Donaghy led gamblers and authorities to question the referee's gambling connections.
Donaghy's actions call into question the scores of more than 140 games in the past two seasons, during which he bet on games and aided others in doing so.
