Editing Tim Donaghy

[[File:300px-Tim Donaghy in 2010.jpg|thumb|220x220px]]
'''Tim Donaghy''' (born 7 January 1967) is a former professional basketball referee involved in the 2007 NBA betting scandal.

== Betting scandal ==
On 20 July 2007, ''New York Post'' journalist Murray Weiss published an article revealing that Donaghy was being investigated by the FBI after his name came up during an investigation into an organized crime gambling ring. During the investigation, the FBI discovered Donaghy had started out taking out bets on NBA games that he was officiating before using his position to rig the game in order to receive a payout, and had later been approached by the mob to help establish the ring, from whom he received kickbacks to rig NBA games that the gang planned to bet on. He also gave information to the gang about who was officiating other games so that they could bribe and intimidate them.

On 15 August, Donaghy pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in wire fraud and transmitting wagering information through interstate commerce.  Donaghy told U.S. District Judge Carol Bagley Amon that he used coded language to tip the ring's leader [[James Battista]] about players' physical condition and player/referee relations.  In doing so, Donaghy disclosed classified information that he obtained as an NBA referee.  Donaghy initially received $2,000 per correct pick, but his calls were so accurate that Battista increased his take to $5,000.  In total, he received $30,000 to pass inside information to the bookies. Another high school friend of Donaghy's, [[Thomas Martino]], acted as the middleman. Donaghy also admitted that he had a severe gambling addiction, for which he was taking antidepressants.

On 25 January 2008, Donaghy was sentenced to 15 months in prison. He served 11 months in federal prison before being transferred to a halfway house after he was attacked and beaten by fellow inmates. However, while serving his time at the halfway house, he was caught at a health club when he should have been at work, causing him to be placed back in federal prison for violating the terms of his release. He was released on 4 November 2009 after serving out his sentence.