An eight-page federal criminal complaint detailing the two felonies to which Tim Donaghy has pleaded guilty is available for your review on Newsday.com.
A couple of very interesting details jumped out at me when I just read it: Federal prosecutors wrote in the complaint that Donaghy had to repay all money he made in this scam. The restitution amount ordered was $30,000.
Evidently it was revealed in court that Donaghy was paid $5,000 for each correct pick he gave to his alleged co-conspirators. So that means Donaghy was correct six times, giving us the first direct evidence of how many games might have been compromised.
The only specific games mentioned in the complaint were on or about Dec. 13, 2006 and Dec. 26, 2006. Donaghy was on the officiating crew for Boston’s 101-81 victory at Philadelphia on the 13th and the Wizards’ 116-101 home victory over Memphis on the 26th.
The complaint also states that Donaghy met with a co-conspirator in Toronto on March 11, 2007 and received a payment. Donaghy reffed the Raptors’ 120-119 home victory over Seattle that night.
This will take some time to sort out, including some rugged work by Newsday’s Tony DeStefano and Bob Kessler at the U.S. District Court in Brooklyn.
As I am writing, NBA Commissioner David Stern just released the following statement:
“As expected, former NBA referee Tim Donaghy pleaded guilty today to betting on NBA games, including games in which he officiated, and providing confidential information to others who bet on NBA games. We will continue with our ongoing and thorough review of the league’s officiating program to ensure that the best possible policies and procedures are in place to protect the integrity of our game.”