Overview
- Lester T. Jones Jr., who pleaded guilty in December, was sentenced Wednesday to three years and five months in federal prison with three years of supervised release.
- The court ordered Jones to pay $3,898,486.99 in restitution for the losses to the Atlanta Hawks.
- Prosecutors say he took sole control of the team’s American Express program and its reimbursement system in early 2021, then filed fake expense claims and put personal spending on team cards.
- Charging documents list about $80,000 in trips to the Bahamas and Thailand, $99,800 at Saks Fifth Avenue, a $115,795 diamond ring, $21,888 in Omega watches, and more than $160,000 in event tickets.
- An internal audit tied to the Hawks’ nonprofit foundation uncovered the scheme, which prosecutors say was aided by an expense platform that did not show corporate-card charges to processors before mid-2024.