American sport was rocked yesterday when a leading basketball referee pleaded guilty to passing betting tips to professional gamblers, after an FBI operation linked to the Gambino Mafia family.

Tim Donaghy also admitted placing bets on games over which he officiated, in what the head of the National Basketball Association (NBA) described as the “worst situation” he had ever experienced for the sport.

Donaghy, 40, a top-tier referee who has been a professional basketball official for 13 years, stood ramrod straight in a Brooklyn courtroom and told the judge: “I was in a unique position to predict the outcome of NBA games. Some of my picks included games I had been assigned to referee.”

Donaghy, who said that he was being treated for gambling addiction, admitted passing information to two associates, James “Baba” Battista, a professional gambler also known as “Sheep”, and Thomas Martino. Their betting ring was uncovered by the FBI during an unrelated investigation into the Gambino family. Lawyers for Mr Battista and Mr Martino denied that their clients had any links to the Mafia.

Donaghy’s confession is the latest in a series of recent scandals to hit sports in the US. There are renewed questions about the use of steroids in baseball after Barry Bonds broke the sport’s hallowed home-run record this month. Bonds is widely suspected to have cheated his way to the record through steroid use.

Donaghy was originally paid $2,000 (£1,000) for each successful tip. He would pass on predictions of which teams he thought would win games, which officials would be officiating, and the injuries or fitness status of players — medical conditions usually closely guarded by teams. Later, Donaghy was paid $5,000 for each successful tip. Prosecutors believe that he has been paid about $30,000 in total since December 2006. He faces up to 25 years in jail. He has also been ordered to pay a $500,000 fine and reimburse the $30,000 to the NBA.

LeBron James, one of the game’s youngest stars, said: “I never thought about someone out there trying to cheat. It’s bad for the game of basketball, but we’re professionals and we have to move on.” Kobe Bryant, another star, said: “All we can do is let people who deal with this stuff handle it and once the season comes round we have to be ready.”

Donaghy pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in wire fraud and transmitting waging information through interstate commerce. Mr Battista and Mr Martino surrendered to the FBI yesterday. Early this year the FBI received information that the pair had bet large amounts of money on NBA games with a referee’s help, according to court documents.

Prosecutors say that Donaghy began betting on games four years ago. The friend through whom he originally bet remains a confidential FBI source.

John Lauro, Donaghy’s lawyer, said: “Tim deeply regrets his involvement in this matter and especially the pain it has caused his family, friends and co-workers.”

Foul play

— After a strong season, Chicago White Sox suffered a shocking defeat to the Cincinnati Reds in the 1919 baseball World Series. Though they were cleared by a jury of match-fixing, baseball's commissioner banned eight so-called “Black Sox” for life

— In 1951 America's widely-supported college basketball league was shaken by match-fixing scandals that involved 32 players, seven teams and three “fixers”. Players were accused not just of losing deliberately, but of doing so by precise margins. Sentences of up to 16 years were handed out

— Floodlights at Premier League football grounds failed several times at key moments from 1997, causing the matches to be abandoned. Three Malaysian men with alleged connections to Far Eastern gambling syndicates and a security guard for one of the affected clubs were later arrested

Source: www.baseballlibrary.com ; www.basketball-reference.com ; Times archives