Atlanta Hawks exec sentenced to prison for embezzling millions for luxury personal items
NBC News • • sports
Key Points:
- Lester T. Jones Jr., former senior vice president of finance for the Atlanta Hawks, was sentenced to three years and five months in prison for embezzling about $3.7 million from the team through fraudulent expense reimbursements and misuse of corporate credit cards.
- Jones used the stolen funds to pay for personal luxury items including travel to the Bahamas and Thailand, high-end apparel, jewelry, watches, and tickets to concerts and sporting events.
- He pleaded guilty to wire fraud in December and worked in the Hawks’ finance department from 2016 to 2025, overseeing the corporate credit card account and expense reimbursement program.
- Authorities emphasized the significant damage caused by insider threats and highlighted the FBI’s commitment to investigating financial crimes within organizations.
- The Hawks declined to comment on Jones’ sentencing, while prosecutors and law enforcement underscored that such abuse of employer trust leads to federal prison.
