Ex-NBA referee Donaghy released from jail
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Published: November 4, 2009
BROOKSVILLE, Florida (AP) — Disgraced former NBA referee Tim Donaghy was a free man on Wednesday after serving most of a 15-month sentence in a gambling scandal.
Pat Berdan, a consultant working with Donaghy, said he was released from Hernando County Jail in Florida, where he had been held since August after officials said he violated travel restrictions while living at a halfway house in the Tampa area.
A New York judge sentenced the former referee in July 2008 after Donaghy said he took thousands of dollars from a professional gambler in exchange for inside tips on NBA games — including games he worked.
The 42-year-old pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in wire fraud and transmitting betting information through interstate commerce in the tips-for-payoffs scheme.
Donaghy served 13 months of the sentence. During his stay in prison, he wrote a tell-all book "Blowing The Whistle," that does not yet have a publisher. Excerpts posted online include accusations of wagering between officials working games, favoritism toward star players, and desires by the league to extend playoff series.
The NBA has said it will review the allegations that appeared on the Web site deadspin.com.
Executive Prison Consultants, a consulting agency working with Donaghy, has said the former referee plans to seek a job in sales or marketing.
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