Two sentenced to prison in NBA betting
scandal
(Wire) - Two former high school
classmates of disgraced NBA referee Tim Donaghy were both sentenced to
more than a year in prison Thursday for their roles in a betting scandal
that embarrassed the league.
A federal judge in Brooklyn gave James Battista, a professional gambler
and admitted drug addict, 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 men, both 42 and former classmates of Donaghy in Springfield, Pa.,
apologized before being sentenced.
“I’m not blaming either one of my co-defendants,” Battista said. “I made
bad choices.”
Martino assured U.S. District Judge Carol Amon that once released from
prison, “I will do everything in my power to restore my reputation.”
The judge rejected arguments by defense attorneys that their clients
deserved probation. The gambling plot, she said, had serious
repercussions because anytime a referee’s “integrity is compromised in
any way, the entire sport is compromised.”
Donaghy, 41, pleaded guilty last year to felony charges he took the cash
payoffs from gamblers for picks on games, including ones he officiated,
based on his behind-the-scenes knowledge. He faces up to 33 months in
prison at sentencing Tuesday.
In a decision filed Wednesday, the judge said the three defendants must
jointly pay the NBA $217,266 in restitution. The league had sought
nearly $1.4 million covering hefty legal bills and a portion of
Donaghy’s salary dating to 2003—a claim the judge found excessive.
“It is undisputed that Donaghy dishonestly refereed 16 games during the
2006-2007 season, and a corresponding portion of his compensation for
these games is an appropriate measure of the NBA’s loss,” she wrote.
In June, Donaghy cast a cloud over 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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