Former Cleveland Cavaliers participant and now NBA playing suspect Damon Jones would strut round Vegas boasting about his friendship with LeBron James to attempt to land favors, a witness stated Friday.
Michael Osborne, knowledgeable gambler and sports activities bettor, advised The Submit he would typically see the Cuban cigar-chomping Jones, 49, hanging across the ARIA Resort & On line casino in Las Vegas to the purpose the place he thought Jones lived there.
“He was a nasty, degenerate gambler,” Osborne claimed of the ex-player — who’s accused of peddling particulars of James’ damage standing involving an upcoming LA Lakers sport in 2023 to attain a $2,500 payout from a bettor, based on law-enforcement sources and court docket paperwork.
Osborne stated that whereas Jones would make his rounds in Vegas, generally dropping tens of hundreds of {dollars} at cube tables with friends, he would flaunt his NBA credentials –together with his buddy-buddy relationship with the celebrity James, who has not been accused within the playing scandal.
“He would say he’s greatest pal’s with LeBron James — mainly, he was utilizing that as a enterprise card for folks to realize some belief in opening up some doorways for him,” Osborne stated of Jones.
Jones would stroll across the Vegas casinos smoking $200 premium Cuban cigars and sporting designer garments and at occasions loungewear as if it was like “he was dwelling on the ARIA,” based on Osborne.
Osborne, who has been going to Las Vegas for the previous 15 years, stated he himself would smoke cigars contained in the ARIA’s “Excessive Restrict” room, a particular lounge for high-stakes video games, the place he would see Jones typically eyeing gamers that had been working a sizzling hand.
“[Jones] would maintain an eyeball on the panorama on who’s betting there,” he stated, claiming the participant typically requested fortunate gamblers for loans with the intention to gamble with them.
Along with Jones’ alleged unlawful tip-off about James’ damage, he additionally was concerned in a widespread multimillion-dollar scheme that lured deep-pocketed NBA and different figures to mounted poker video games overseen by 4 of New York Metropolis’s notorious Mafia households, prosecutors stated.
Osborne instructed that some victims of the rigged poker video games might have been hand-picked from the room contained in the ARIA.
Jones, who was indicted Thursday by federal prosecutors together with a slew of others, allegedly acquired $2,500 for insider info that backfired throughout a 2024 Lakers sport involving James, data he claimed to be taught from a Lakers coach.
He then advised co-defendant Eric “Spook” Earnest, who shared the tip with Marves Fairley, based on the indictment.
Fairley then allegedly tossed down a $100,000 wager in opposition to the Lakers — solely to lose all of it when James ended up taking part in within the Lakers 112-105 win in opposition to the Thunder.
When Fairley got here calling for his $2,500 again, Jones stated that he had been passing alongside “credible private info,” the feds stated.
Osborne, who provides sports activities playing recommendations on his “bigbetmike” Instagram account, stated he was unaware of the illicit poker video games.
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“Stuff like that was by no means talked about in any respect,” he stated.
Jones is amongst three people who performed within the NBA charged within the playing ring. The opposite two are Miami Warmth guard Terry Rozier and Portland Path Blazers head coach Chauncy Billups.
Each Billups and Jones are accused of utilizing their basketball stardom to lure folks into taking part in poker video games that had been rigged by the Mafia
The trio have pleaded not responsible at their arraignments.
