The first defendant in the recent NBA betting scandal was sentenced to two years in federal prison this week in New York.
Prosecutors said Timothy McCormack defrauded sportsbooks by using non-public information to place large wagers. The alleged conspiracy was revealed in October and included the arrests of Miami Heat point guard Terry Rozier and former NBA journeyman and Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach Damon Jones.
McCormack said his involvement in the operation was the result of a lifelong addiction to gambling. Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall expressed some sympathy to his plight before sentencing him in the Brooklyn courtroom.
“He has an addiction,” she said. “I don’t believe the conduct Mr. McCormack engaged in defines him.”
‘Serious Crime’
Despite those sentiments, Hall said McCormack undermined the integrity in sports that viewers and fans have come to expect.
“There is no question this is a serious crime,” the judge said. “Sports matters to me as an individual, as it should to society.”
McCormack could have received four years in prison. Federal prosecutors indicated the defendant was more of a contributor than one of the leaders of the scheme. Defense attorneys were hoping for a sentence that didn’t involve prison time.
The FBI alleges that Rozier and others “had access to private information known by NBA players or NBA coaches” that was used to help rig games in exchange for either a fee or share of betting profits.
Wide-Ranging Scheme
In total, 34 people were arrested as part of the investigation into the operation that spanned 11 states. The announcement of the arrests also included some of those involved in a high-stakes poker cheating operation.
Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups was also arrested as part of that operation. Investigators allege Jones was involved in both schemes.
Of those arrested, six suspects are alleged to have been part of the sports betting case, with 31 allegedly involved in the poker case. Rozier, Jones, and Billups have all pleaded not guilty.
The sports betting scheme is believed to be part of the operation that also included former Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter. He pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to commit wire fraud as part of an effort to rig statistics for bettors in 2024. He was also banned for life by the NBA.
