Former NBA Player Pleads Guilty for Assault in Domestic Dispute in Englewood NJ
By Travis Tormey posted in Domestic Violence on Saturday, December 7, 2013
A former NBA player recently accepted a plea agreement for domestic violence charges stemming from an incident in Englewood, New Jersey.
Appearing in Bergen County Superior Court in Hackensack NJ, 28-year-old Sean Banks accepted a plea agreement for assaulting his girlfriend. Banks allegedly assaulted the victim with both a belt and a broomstick before restraining her.
A former basketball star from Bergen County, Banks had high hopes for a successful professional basketball career until his life took a turn in another direction. After playing at Memphis University, where he was named the Conference USA Freshman of the Year in 2004, he was signed by the New Orleans Hornets in 2005. Eventually, Banks’ NBA career fizzled, and he spent time playing basketball in Puerto Rico.
Banks has a history of criminal behavior, including charges for driving while intoxicated and participating in gang-related activities.
In August of 2011, police chased Banks and three others in a vehicle for speeding. After Banks’ car overturned, officers searched the vehicle to find stolen property amounting to over $20,000. Multiple burglaries had recently been committed in the area. The burglaries were allegedly carried out by members of the James Bond Gang, some of whom were riding in the vehicle with Banks during the police chase.
Banks has been arrested four times in 2013. He is currently facing charges in Englewood, NJ, and he has charges pending in Wayne, NJ. The Englewood charges involve breaking and entering, burglary, and slashing the tires of a woman’s car. Banks was released from prison on $50,000 bail in connection with the aforementioned incident.
The domestic violence charges against Banks initially involved six counts, but they were later reduced. Ultimately, he pleaded guilty to fourth degree aggravated assault, recklessly causing bodily injury, and resisting arrest.
Banks will be sentenced by Superior Court Judge Liliana DeAvila-Silebi on January 10, 2014; however, the other charges against him remain unresolved. If Banks is convicted of the other offenses, he could be subject to significant penalties, including a lengthy term of incarceration.
For more information related to this case, access the NJ.com article entitled “Former NBA Player Spared Prison Time in Englewood Domestic Violence Case.“
