Former New Zealand international soccer player Clayton Lewis outside the Sydney court where he was sentenced today. Photo: AAP / Photosport
Former All White Clayton Lewis has avoided a formal conviction for his role in an A-League spot-fixing scheme.
The Kiwi footballer was today sentenced in a Sydney Court after he pleaded guilty in July to one charge of engaging in conduct that corrupts the betting outcome of an event.
Magistrate Michael Blair sentenced Lewis to a two-year community release order, and ruled that a conviction would not be entered on the 28 year-old's record.
Lewis' former Macarthur FC team-mate and co-accused Kearyn Baccus received an identical sentence.
The charges stem from the pair's involvement in a yellow-card manipulation scheme, in which they were each paid $10,000 to deliberately obtain a yellow card in a match against Sydney FC in December 2023.
Police allege Lewis and Baccus were operating under the direction of the team's former captain Ulises Davila, who acted as the "point man" for a South American crime syndicate to facilitate illegal gambling on A-League matches.
"He was the captain of the team, and he was the captain of the scheme," Baccus' lawyer Bryan Wrench told the court at a hearing last week.
Davila, who faces up to nine charges related to betting corruption and participating in a criminal group, is yet to enter a plea and is due to appear in court again on Thursday.
At last week's hearing Lewis' lawyer Gabrielle Bashir submitted her client had already suffered significant punishment outside of the courtroom.
She said Lewis had most likely lost any future ability to earn a living from football, revealing Football Australia has issued her client with a "show cause" notice seeking a lifetime ban from the sport.
The court also heard Lewis was in the grips of gambling addiction when he was approached by Davila about taking part.
Bashir submitted to the court that Kiwi footballer's moral culpability was at the lower end, as the 28-year-old was "targeted and exploited" because he was a known gambling addict.
She added there was a clear power imbalance between Davila, his former captain, and Lewis.
"Not only was he targeted, he was asked to do it by someone who was in a position of power and influence over him," she said.
The court heard Lewis has since been diagnosed with a gambling addiction and is undergoing treatment.
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