Last January, an Atlanta Hawks finance executive sent what seemed like a routine request to the team’s accounting department. He asked that the franchise pay off a $229,968.76 American Express bill for a stay at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas the month before. The Hawks made a detour there for the NBA Cup, where they advanced to the semifinals, and Lester Jones, the team’s senior vice president of financial planning and analysis, wanted the bill paid. A team accountant obliged. But there was no stay at the Wynn, according to federal prosecutors, and no bill for it. It was allegedly part of a yearslong con by Jones to steal money from the Hawks, who employed him in their finance department for nearly a decade. Jones, 46, of Atlanta, was charged with fraud and embezzling $3.8 million from the NBA franchise, according to an indictment brought last week by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia. Evidence of his alleged crimes was uncovered through a team-backed audit, multiple league sources told The Athletic.

New York Times

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Hawks ex-executive charged with embezzling close to $4 million from team

Reporting by HoopsHype / Hoops Hype

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