A federal judge will hold a hearing next month to determine how much sports financial adviser Billy Crafton must pay his victims in restitution.
U.S. District Judge Barry Ted Moskowitz last month sentenced Crafton to 12 months in prison after a seven-hour hearing in which some of Crafton’s former athlete clients testified against him. Crafton pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in October 2014.
Crafton, who represented numerous MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL players, will turn himself in to federal authorities Jan. 22. The Federal Bureau of Prisons will determine where he serves his sentence, which also includes three years of supervised release.
The restitution hearing is scheduled for Jan. 12.
Crafton has already agreed to pay $700,000 in restitution to his victims, said Mark Conover, assistant U.S. attorney in San Diego and the lead prosecutor in the case. Conover said that is the minimum Crafton will pay under a plea agreement, and that the government will ask that he pay more.
Conover said the U.S. attorney’s office was still determining the amount it would seek, as well as which victims would receive restitution.
Conover had asked that Crafton be sentenced to more than five years in prison. Crafton’s attorney asked that he serve probation, rather than spend time in prison.
“We are happy with the result,” Conover said. “We wanted to send a message: If you engage in fraudulent conduct, you end up going to jail.”
Crafton did not return a text for comment, and his attorney did not return a phone call.
Multiple current and former athletes and sports executives have filed lawsuits or arbitrations against Crafton, including Texas Rangers pitcher Cole Hamels, Houston Rockets guard Jason Terry, Philadelphia Eagles tight end Brent Celek, former NFL tight end and former Cleveland Browns director of player engagement Aaron Shea, and former NFL quarterback A.J. Feeley and his wife, former professional soccer player Heather Mitts.
Feeley and Mitts both testified against Crafton at the sentencing hearing Nov. 25 via interactive television, as did Caitlin Shea, Aaron Shea’s wife.
Former NFL linebacker Freddy Keiaho, also a former client of Crafton’s, said he testified at the hearing to support the other victims and to speak directly to Crafton.
“According to our prosecutor attorney, the victim impact statements weighed substantially on the judge’s decision,” Keiaho said. “The punishment was just.”
Mike Commodore, a former NHL defenseman and another former financial client of Crafton’s, also spoke at the hearing.
“Witnessing him get sentenced to one year plus one day in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, in front of his family and friends was very satisfying,” Commodore said. “He can no longer introduce himself as a financial adviser or business manager. From this point forward, it’s Billy Crafton, the convicted felon.”
Crafton, as previously reported, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection in 2013. However, court-ordered restitution cannot be discharged in bankruptcy.
