Englewood Man, Former Basketball Player Pleads Not Guilty to Burglaries

A former pro basketball player from Englewood arrested after a high-speed police chase last year pleaded not guilty Monday to burglarizing homes in Sparta and Jefferson, NJ.com reported.

Sean Banks, 26, was arrested along with three other alleged burglars Aug. 5. Authorities said the four men, including one from Teaneck, broke into homes in Sparta and Jefferson, fled local police in a chase before crashing a stolen SUV they were riding in.

Aasim Boone, 29, his brother Akeem Boone, 27, along with Teaneck resident Jerry Montgomery, 31, were arrested with Banks, Sparta police have said. Prosecutors allege the four are part of an offshoot of the James Bond Gang, a burglary ring targeting high-end homes in New Jersey and New York.

Banks is a former NBA Development League player with the Idaho Stampede. He attended Bergen Catholic High School in Oradell and was a star basketball player at the University of Memphis, according to the report.

The James Bond Gang dates back to the 1980s when an original Bergen County burglary crew reportedly used a supped-up BMW to flee police. Records show Montgomery has an extensive criminal history, including a conviction alongside James Bond Gang burglar Daniel "Tokyo" Gatson.

Authorities say members of the gang’s latest incarnation from Somerset County to suburban New York. 

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