Former Hawks executive indicted in $3.8 million theft case

A former Atlanta Hawks finance executive was indicted last week on federal charges accusing him of stealing 3.8 million dollars from the franchise, according to an indictment filed by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia. Lester T. Jones Jr., 46, of Atlanta, who served as the team's senior vice president of financial planning and analysis, pleaded not guilty and was released on a 10,000 dollar bond. He is no longer employed by the Hawks, and the team declined to comment.

Prosecutors say the alleged scheme spanned years and relied on Jones's control of the Hawks' American Express account and his authority to issue and approve corporate cards. The indictment contends he used that access to charge personal travel and purchases to team accounts, including trips to the Bahamas, Hawaii, Thailand and Switzerland, as well as a Porsche, event tickets and luxury items. Federal authorities further allege Jones used some of the funds to buy expensive gifts for a coworker with whom he had a romantic relationship; that employee also no longer works for the team.

An internal, team-backed audit led to the investigation, officials said. Prosecutors say Jones then took...