Former Atlanta Hawks account executive sentenced to three years and five months in prison for embezzling $3.7 million from the team..

A former Atlanta Hawks account executive has been sentenced to three years and five months in prison for embezzling $3.7 million from the team, according to a report by The Athletic on Wednesday, citing a U.S. Attorney Office in North Georgia.

The report states that the executive, Lester Jones, was found to have embezzled team funds by using multiple fraudulent expense reimbursement reports and misuse of the team's credit cards.

In addition to the prison sentence, Jones was ordered to pay more than $3.8 million in restitution. He will also be subject to ongoing behavioral monitoring by law enforcement for three years after his release.

Regarding Jones's sentencing, U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Herzberg strongly condemned him, saying, "Jones turned his coveted Atlanta Hawks executive position into an opportunity to steal team funds to purchase luxury clothing, jewelry, watches, and travel." 

"However, for Jones and others who abused their employers’ trust and misappropriated huge sums of money, the ultimate outcome is imprisonment."

Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta, Marlo Graham said, “This case highlights the significant damage that threats within organizations can cause. Jones abused his power and authority to misappropriate millions of dollars, but such crimes are not undetectable. The FBI will continue to investigate and combat financial crime at all levels.”

Following the release of the court verdict, reporters attempted to contact the Atlanta Hawks, but the team declined to comment.

Jones, 46, served as the Hawks’ Senior Vice President of Financial Planning and Analysis until last season. Last October, he was indicted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Georgia for allegedly using his position to embezzle funds in the name of the team.

At the time, prosecutors alleged that Jones used falsified financial reports and emails to legitimize transactions and concealed his personal expenses by including them in the team’s accounts. He pleaded guilty to wire fraud charges in December 2025.

According to the prosecutor's office, in early 2021, Jones became the sole administrator of the NBA Eastern Conference team's American Express credit card account and was responsible for overseeing the credit card program. Jones was the contact person for American Express and the only Hawks employee with access to detailed team credit card information, including cardholder identity and account balances.

In January 2024, Jones submitted a request to the team's accounting department to pay a $229,968.76 American Express bill to cover his accommodation expenses at the Wynn Las Vegas hotel the previous month, where the Hawks were playing in the NBA Finals. The team accountant complied.

However, federal prosecutors were unable to locate the hotel bill and allege it was part of a years-long fraud scheme in which Jones embezzled funds from the Hawks.

He had been employed by the Hawks since 2016. Prosecutors allege that Jones used his position to live a lavish lifestyle. According to multiple league sources, he maintained a romantic relationship with another team employee (who has since left the team) and used some of the funds he is accused of stealing to buy her expensive gifts.

A statement from U.S. prosecutors stated that he controlled the team's American Express card account, authorized spending, and opened multiple corporate credit cards for himself.

Furthermore, he used these credit cards for lavish personal spending, including approximately $80,000 in trips to the Bahamas and Thailand, $99,800 worth of clothing from Saks Fifth Avenue, a diamond ring worth $115,795.01, an Omega watch worth $21,888.90, and over $160,000 in concert tickets and other event expenses, ultimately leading to an FBI investigation.

Image source: Internet / The Athletic