NEW YORK (AP) — New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton is expected to plead guilty in a felony gun
possession case in exchange for a no-jail sentence, prosecutors said Monday.
Felton was in a Manhattan court as prosecutors outlined the agreement, which would resolve a gun case
that arose amid the breakup of his marriage. He’s expected to enter the plea June 30 and receive a
$5,000 fine and 500 hours of community service.
“We thank the (Manhattan) district attorney for focusing on the facts, and only the facts,” Felton’s
lawyer, Jim Walden, said in a statement.
Felton was arrested in February, turning himself in shortly after a Dallas Mavericks-Knicks game at
Madison Square Garden. Authorities said his estranged wife’s lawyer had brought a loaded semi-automatic
handgun to a police precinct, saying it was Felton’s and she wanted it out of their house. His wife, law
student Ariane Raymondo-Felton, had filed for divorce the week before.
Felton was charged with offenses including a weapon-possession offense that carries the potential for up
to seven years in prison; it outlaws large-capacity ammunition magazines, under some circumstances. The
gun in Felton’s case had a magazine that could hold about 20 rounds, prosecutors said.
The NBA has said it’s monitoring the case. The league usually waits until criminal cases against players
are resolved before deciding whether to impose any fine or suspension.
The former University of North Carolina star, who turns 30 on Thursday, was the fifth pick of the 2005
NBA draft. After five seasons with the Charlotte Bobcats, he had stints with the Knicks, Denver Nuggets
and Portland Trail Blazers before returning to the Knicks for the 2012-13 season.
Felton averaged a career-low 9.7 points last season as the Knicks went 37-45 and missed the playoffs. The
point guard missed 17 games while battling injuries, and team president Phil Jackson recently denied a
report that he had told Felton he planned to try to trade him this summer. Felton is set to earn $3.8
million next season and has a player option that would pay him $4 million in 2015-16.
Felton is among a few pro athletes who have gotten into trouble with New York’s strict gun laws. Then-New
York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress was arrested in 2008 after accidentally shooting himself in a
Manhattan nightclub. He pleaded guilty to an attempted weapon-possession charge and served about two
years in prison.
Fighter Robert Guerrero was arrested at John F. Kennedy Airport last year after he presented a locked gun
box containing an unloaded handgun during check-in. He pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and was
ordered to pay a $250 fine and complete 50 hours of community service.