A former Hawks senior executive is facing embezzlement charges after federal prosecutors alleged he ran a years-long scheme to defraud the NBA franchise that employed him.
Lester Jones was charged with fraud and embezzling $3.8 million from the Hawks following a team-backed audit that uncovered evidence of his illicit activities, The Athletic reported. Federal prosecutors brought an indictment against Jones last week. He pleaded not guilty to the charges and was released on a $10,000 bond.
Jones had worked in the organization’s finance department for nearly a decade. Prosecutors allege that he used his position within the Hawks to finance a lavish lifestyle at the expense of the NBA team. Jones controlled the Hawks’ American Express card account and allegedly authorized multiple corporate cards for his personal use.
Among the instances prosecutors cited, Jones is accused of having the Hawks pay off an American Express credit card bill totaling $229,968.76 last January. He reportedly told the team the charge was for a stay at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas; however, prosecutors claim there was no such bill from the hotel.
Additionally, Jones is alleged to have spent some of the embezzled funds on expensive gifts for a former Hawks employee with whom he was romantically involved at the time, The Athletic reported.
As part of his scheme, prosecutors also allege that Jones used his position to cover the costs of a Porsche, trips to the Bahamas, Hawaii, Thailand, Switzerland, among other destinations, as well as concert tickets. To conceal his fraud, Jones reportedly faked emails and altered financial reports.
The Hawks organization and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia declined to comment to The Athletic. An attorney representing Jones did not return requests for comment from the outlet.
https://nypost.com/2025/11/04/sports/ex-hawks-employee-allegedly-embezzled-3-8-million-from-team/