Hustlers Gamblers Crooks season 2 episode 4 - Who was the crooked referee and where is he now? 

Hustlers Gamblers Crooks season 2, episode 4 dives into one of the biggest scandals in professional basketball history: the case of Tim Donaghy, the NBA’s infamous crooked referee. In the fast-paced world of professional basketball, referees are trusted to ensure fairness, but Donaghy’s actions shattered that trust. Between 2003 and 2007, he admitted to betting on games he officiated and providing inside information to gamblers linked to organized crime.

By manipulating calls and influencing point spreads, Donaghy wagered thousands of dollars on outcomes he could directly affect. His betrayal prompted a major federal investigation, his resignation from the NBA, and a prison sentence. The episode not only exposes Donaghy’s fall from grace but also reveals deeper vulnerabilities in sports officiating and the growing impact of gambling on professional sports.

Nowadays, Donaghy lives a more subdued life in Sarasota, Florida. He owns and rents about 15 properties, supports his family as the father of four daughters, and is engaged to be married. He has made amends for lost friendships due to the controversy and occasionally comments on officiating issues, but generally stays out of the limelight.

Discovery Channel's Hustlers Gamblers Crooks season 2, episode 4, titled The Crooked Ref, premiered on October 14, 2025, dramatizing Donaghy's life with interviews and reenactments. Viewers can watch it on the Discovery Channel or stream it on Max and Discovery+.

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Hustlers Gamblers Crooks: Donaghy's rise through the ranks of NBA officiating

Hustlers Gamblers Crooks season 2, episode 4 (Representative Image via Unsplash/@Gene Gallin)

Hustlers Gamblers Crooks, season 2, episode 4, traces the rise and fall of Tim Donaghy. When Tim Donaghy was a college student at Villanova University in the late 1980s, he started officiating basketball games. He sharpened his skills under pressure while working at local high school and college games in Pennsylvania after graduating. When the NBA hired him as a full-time referee in 1994 at the age of 25, it marked his big break, according to ESPN.

By his third season, Donaghy was officiating playoff games and had earned respect for his consistent presence on the court. Over the next ten years, he worked more than 1,300 regular-season games and 130 postseason games, including assignments to the NBA Finals in 2005 and 2007.

Colleagues praised his knowledge of the rules and his capacity to manage high-pressure situations, such as the Lakers vs. Kings Western Conference Finals in 2002, where contentious calls drew attention. Donaghy's career reached its peak as he balanced the demands of travel and important decisions with his family life, raising daughters in suburban Philadelphia, as per ESPN.

Initially, Donaghy strictly followed the NBA's referee program, which emphasized training and assessment. To improve, he attended annual camps and reviewed tapes. But the loneliness and stress of the job started to wear on him. Divorce-related personal and financial strains increased in the early 2000s.

Although Donaghy later described his journey as a gradual decline rather than a sudden fall, these factors created conditions for risky choices, according to ESPN. As shown in Hustlers Gamblers Crooks, Donaghy's early success story highlights both the potential benefits and the personal costs of sports officiating.

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Hustlers Gamblers Crooks: The hidden world of Donaghy's betting operation

Tim Donaghy was involved in gambling (Representative Image via Unsplash/@ Aidan Howe)

Episode 4 of Hustlers Gamblers Crooks examines how Donaghy's involvement in gambling began small but developed into a structured operation. Around 2003, he connected with James Battie, a Philadelphia architect and gambler, who introduced him to bookmaker Tommy Martino.

The three formed a partnership in which Donaghy supplied picks and predictions on game outcomes based on his insights into teams, players, and even referee crew dynamics, according to ESPN. These weren't outright fixes but rather manipulations, like favoring certain fouls to sway point spreads.

From 2005 to 2007, Donaghy bet on about 30 to 40 games per season, mostly his own, wagering up to $75,000 at a time through Martino. Profits grew into hundreds of thousands, transferred via wire transfers. The scheme connected with broader mob networks in New York and Philadelphia, where gamblers sought advantages in both legal and illegal betting markets, according to ESPN.

Donaghy avoided betting on games with close friends as referees to prevent suspicion. He tracked tendencies, such as how fatigue impacted calls or how the home crowd influenced decisions. Phone records later showed over 170 calls between Donaghy and referee Scott Foster during this period, though Foster was cleared of wrongdoing.

Donaghy claimed the NBA overlooked systemic biases, such as pressuring refs to balance wins for TV ratings, but the league disputed this. Donaghy's actions remained undetected for years, blending seamlessly into his professional routine until external pressures led to exposure.

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The investigation that exposed the scandal in Hustlers Gamblers Crooks

Time received 15 months in prison (Representative Image via Unsplash/@Markus Winkler)

The FBI received a tip from an inmate at a federal prison in Florida in June 2007, as featured in Hustlers Gamblers Crooks, which marked the start of the downfall. The informant, connected to criminal gambling organizations, claimed that a dishonest NBA referee was providing bettors with picks. After reviewing phone records and betting patterns linked to Martino and Battie, agents focused on Donaghy, according to ESPN.

The investigation intensified by mid-July. Although Donaghy resigned on July 19 for personal reasons, media leaks confirmed the allegations of betting. When the FBI raided his home, they seized computers and documents. On August 14, 2008, Donaghy pleaded guilty to two federal charges: conspiracy to commit wire fraud and transmitting wagering information across state lines.

He manipulated at least four games, including inflating fouls in a 2007 Knicks-Heat game, based on court documents. While Commissioner David Stern's internal review of the NBA, involving 65 officials, did not find widespread corruption, it imposed stricter gambling regulations.

Donaghy received a 15-month prison sentence, 11 months of which were served at a minimum-security facility in Florida, after a nationally covered sentencing hearing in October 2008, according to AP News. Broader reforms, like enhanced background checks and anonymous hotlines for referee concerns, resulted from the case, as reported by ESPN. It also led to increased public mistrust, as supporters questioned earlier controversial calls.

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Hustlers Gamblers Crooks: Life after prison

Hustlers Gamblers Crooks: Donaghy was released in November 2009 (Representative Image via Unsplash/@Matthew Ansley)

Donaghy, who was released in November 2009, faced a lifetime NBA ban and three years of supervised release. To get away from the spotlight and start fresh, he moved to Sarasota, Florida.

Between 2008 and 2009, he bought 15 rental properties using the $250,000 he saved from his referee salary. These properties provide him with a steady income, allowing him to focus on his family. Prioritizing stability over public life, Donaghy married in 2010 and has four daughters, according to ESPN.

Although he initially avoided sports roles, he briefly worked as a consultant for a financial firm. He ventured into pro wrestling commentary for Major League Wrestling in 2021, offering officiating commentary without being actively involved, as reported by AP News. In 2024, he apologized for strained relationships with colleagues, including Scott Foster, with whom he exchanged hundreds of calls during the scandal years.

In recent years, Donaghy has written books on speaking at events and refereeing, though selectively. He emphasizes personal accountability and reflects on lessons learned in interviews conducted in 2025. Although he stays away from prominent media, he backs initiatives to raise awareness about gambling, according to ESPN.

Far from the courts that once shaped him, Donaghy lives quietly in Florida and seeks redemption on his own terms. The story is featured in Hustlers Gamblers Crooks season 2, episode 4, available on Discovery.

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