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NBA ref Donaghy sentenced to 15 months in prison
By Tom Hays, Associated Press Writer
Tuesday, July 29, 2008 | No comments posted.
NEW YORK — Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy was sentenced to 15 months in prison today for setting off a gambling scandal that tarnished the reputation of the league and raised questions about the integrity of its officiating.
The sentencing in a Brooklyn federal court culminated a case that hung over the league throughout the season and even into the NBA finals between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers. League commissioner David Stern angrily denied Donaghy’s claim that corruption among referees goes beyond him.
Donaghy’s lawyer asked the judge for probation. Donaghy had faced up to 33 months in prison, but the judge gave him credit for his cooperation.
Folding his arms but showing no other emotion, the 41-year-old Donaghy apologized to the court. “I brought shame on myself and my family,” he said.
Donaghy pleaded guilty last August to conspiracy to engage in wire fraud and transmitting betting information through interstate commerce.
“By having this nonpublic information, I was in a unique position to predict the outcome of NBA games,” he told a judge at the time.
Last week, two of Donaghy’s former high school classmates were sentenced to over a year in prison for their roles in the scheme.
James Battista, a professional gambler and admitted drug addict, got 15 months in prison for making bets based on inside tips. Thomas Martino, the scheme’s middleman, was sentenced to a year and one day for paying the referee thousands of dollars for the tips. The three men attended school together in Springfield, Pa.
The league had demanded nearly $1.4 million in restitution. But the judge last week set the restitution at $217,266, to be paid jointly by the three defendants.
The league has angrily denied Donaghy’s claim that corruption among officials runs deeper than one bad referee.
In June, he marred the NBA finals by making fresh accusations that the league routinely encouraged refs to ring up bogus fouls to manipulate results but discouraged them from calling technical fouls on star players to keep them in games and protect ticket sales and television ratings.
The allegations — contained in court papers arguing that Donaghy deserved leniency for voluntarily disclosing the alleged corruption — included one instance claiming referees rigged a 2002 playoff series to force it to a revenue-boosting seven games.
Though the papers didn’t name the teams involved, only the Los Angeles Lakers-Sacramento Kings series went to seven games during those playoffs. The Lakers went on to win the championship.
NBA commissioner David Stern has called the allegations baseless, saying Donaghy was only “singing” to get a lighter sentence.
The sentencing in a Brooklyn federal court culminated a case that hung over the league throughout the season and even into the NBA finals between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers. League commissioner David Stern angrily denied Donaghy’s claim that corruption among referees goes beyond him.
Donaghy’s lawyer asked the judge for probation. Donaghy had faced up to 33 months in prison, but the judge gave him credit for his cooperation.
Folding his arms but showing no other emotion, the 41-year-old Donaghy apologized to the court. “I brought shame on myself and my family,” he said.
Donaghy pleaded guilty last August to conspiracy to engage in wire fraud and transmitting betting information through interstate commerce.
“By having this nonpublic information, I was in a unique position to predict the outcome of NBA games,” he told a judge at the time.
Last week, two of Donaghy’s former high school classmates were sentenced to over a year in prison for their roles in the scheme.
James Battista, a professional gambler and admitted drug addict, got 15 months in prison for making bets based on inside tips. Thomas Martino, the scheme’s middleman, was sentenced to a year and one day for paying the referee thousands of dollars for the tips. The three men attended school together in Springfield, Pa.
The league had demanded nearly $1.4 million in restitution. But the judge last week set the restitution at $217,266, to be paid jointly by the three defendants.
The league has angrily denied Donaghy’s claim that corruption among officials runs deeper than one bad referee.
In June, he marred the NBA finals by making fresh accusations that the league routinely encouraged refs to ring up bogus fouls to manipulate results but discouraged them from calling technical fouls on star players to keep them in games and protect ticket sales and television ratings.
The allegations — contained in court papers arguing that Donaghy deserved leniency for voluntarily disclosing the alleged corruption — included one instance claiming referees rigged a 2002 playoff series to force it to a revenue-boosting seven games.
Though the papers didn’t name the teams involved, only the Los Angeles Lakers-Sacramento Kings series went to seven games during those playoffs. The Lakers went on to win the championship.
NBA commissioner David Stern has called the allegations baseless, saying Donaghy was only “singing” to get a lighter sentence.
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