Disgraced NBA referee Tim Donaghy was sentenced to 15 months in prison Tuesday after pleading guilty last year to taking thousands of dollars in payoffs from a professional gambler for inside betting tips.
The sentencing of Donaghy closes a chapter in a scandal that convulsed the NBA.
The league has angrily denied Donaghy’s claim that corruption among referees runs deeper.
Donaghy pleaded guilty last August to conspiracy to engage in wire fraud and transmitting betting information through interstate commerce.
Last week, two of Donaghy’s former high school classmates were sentenced to more than a year in prison for their roles in the scheme.
Donaghy, 41, had faced up to 33 months in prison.
Donaghy also was sentenced to a three-year term of supervised release, on the condition that he receive mental health treatment for his gambling addiction.
Donaghy’s defense attorney asked that Donaghy be sent to a federal prison camp in Florida, near his family.
Credit: ESPN
