NEW YORK (AP) -A professional gambler linked to disgraced referee Tim Donaghy will spend over a year in prison for his role in the betting scandal that rocked the NBA.
James Battista was sentenced in New York on Thursday to 15 months in prison for making bets based on inside tips.
Another defendant, Thomas Martino, also was to be sentenced Thursday for paying the referee thousands of dollars for the tips.
The three men attended high school together in Springfield, Pa.
Donaghy, a resident of Bradenton, Fla., will be sentenced on July 29. He pleaded guilty last year to charges he conspired to engage in wire fraud and transmitted betting information through interstate commerce.
