Atlanta Hawks finance chief stole $3.8 million to buy diamonds, luxury trips and designer clothes

What’s Happening: 46-year-old Lester T. Jones, Jr., of Atlanta, was sentenced to three years and five months in prison. A judge also ordered him to pay back $3.8 million and spend three years on supervised release after he gets out.

What’s Important: Jones pleaded guilty to wire fraud on December 16, Wire fraud is a federal crime that involves using electronic systems, like email or online platforms, to steal money. He joined the Hawks’ accounting department in 2016 and was promoted to Senior Vice President of Finance in August 2021, making him the second-highest accounting official at the team, behind only the Chief Financial Officer.

How He Did It: Starting in early 2021, Jones became the only person at the Hawks with full control over the team’s corporate American Express account. He decided which employees got cards, handled all contact with American Express, and could see every card, balance, and account detail. He also ran the team’s online system for reimbursing employees for work-related costs. According to court records, he used both roles to steal in two ways:

• He submitted, or told others to submit, dozens of fake expense requests — getting the Hawks to pay him back for business costs that never happened.
• He charged personal purchases to corporate credit cards, then lied to other Hawks employees, including people who worked under him, to hide it.

What He Bought: Court records show Jones spent stolen money on roughly $80,000 in personal trips to the Bahamas and Thailand, $99,800 in clothing at Saks Fifth Avenue, a $115,795.01 diamond ring, $21,888.90 in Omega watches, and more than $160,000 in tickets to concerts and other events.

The Path Forward: Jones must now serve his prison sentence and begin repaying the money he stole. Federal restitution orders require repayment even if a defendant does not have the money at sentencing, meaning the Hawks could be collecting payments for years to come.