Donaghy cohort enters guity plea

NEW YORK, April 25 (UPI) -- Professional gambler James Battista has pleaded guilty in New York to involvement in a betting scheme with former NBA referee Tim Donaghy.

The admission was made Thursday as Battista pleaded guilty before a federal judge to one count of illegal gambling -- a conviction that could put him in prison for 10-16 months.

Battista, 42, entered the plea after repeatedly refusing to plead guilty to wire fraud, as his co-defendant Thomas Martino did a week ago, the New York Daily News reported Friday.

Battista said he was ''engaged in the business of sports betting," and that he and Martino, a friend of Donaghy, would pay the referee thousands of dollars based on "inside tips" about certain NBA games.

The disgraced former NBA referee pleaded guilty in August 2007 to providing gamblers with inside information on NBA games.

The New York Daily News reported that federal Judge Carol Amon has scheduled sentencing for July 11 for Battista.