Gambler says he will take chance with jury

NEW YORK, April 22 (UPI) -- A professional gambler caught up in the NBA betting scandal has told a federal judge in New York he plans to take his chances at trial.

James Battista's trial is scheduled to begin May 5 in Brooklyn, the New York Post reported. At a pretrial hearing Monday, he said that he is "fighting."

The star witness for the prosecution is expected to be Timothy Donaghy, who went to high school with Battista in a Philadelphia suburb. Donaghy, a longtime NBA referee, pleaded guilty last summer to passing information to gamblers.

Jack McMahon, Battista's lawyer, said that he does not expect a jury to believe Donaghy.

"He's somebody that has admitted to being a less-than-stellar character," McMahon said. "He's lied and hidden stuff for years. It's obvious he's not a credible witness."

Another high school chum has admitted passing information from Donaghy to Battista, the report said.