18 Former NBA Players Arrested in Connection to Massive Scam

Eighteen former NBA gamers had been charged by federal prosecutors Thursday in a fraud scheme associated to the league’s well being care plan.

In keeping with ESPN, the gamers had been indicted for defrauding the NBA out of almost $4 million in fraudulent well being and welfare advantages. The case was dropped at the Manhattan federal court docket, and prosecutors mentioned they had been planning to carry a press convention Thursday to debate the case particulars.

ESPN mentioned the indictment described the gamers’ effort as “a widespread scheme to defraud the plan by submitting false and fraudulent claims to get reimbursed for medical and dental bills that had been by no means really incurred.”

From 2017-2020, roughly $3.9 million in false claims had been filed to the NBA’s well being and welfare advantages plan, the indictment mentioned. The defendants within the case had been mentioned to have acquired $2.5 million in proceeds from the faux claims.

Terrence Williams, a 2009 first spherical draft decide by the then-New Jersey Nets, allegedly served because the scheme’s ringleader, WMAQ-TV reported.

In keeping with NBC News, “Alan Anderson, Anthony Allen, Shannon Brown, William Bynum, Ronald Glen “Massive Child” Davis, Christopher Douglas-Roberts, Melvin Ely, Jamario Moon, Darius Miles, Milton Palacio, Ruben Patterson, Eddie Robinson, Gregory Smith, Sebastian Telfair, Charles Watson Jr., Antoine Wright, and Anthony Wroten” had been the opposite 17 gamers indicted.

Desiree Allen, the spouse of Anthony, was the nineteenth defendant charged within the scheme, NBC reported.

Because the de facto chief, Williams allegedly recruited gamers who had been a part of the league’s well being plan to assist perform the scheme. He reportedly offered some gamers with faux invoices to substantiate their fraudulent claims to the NBA, and 10 gamers paid him at the very least $230,000 for offering these paperwork.

As well as, Williams is accused of serving to Davis, Watson Jr, and Wright safe faux medical letters supposedly justifying their want for a number of the fraudulent health advantages, in line with WMAQ-TV.

Williams himself allegedly filed a $19,000 declare for chiropractor providers he by no means acquired. The NBA despatched him $7,672.55 for that declare.

A few the gamers charged had been pretty profitable throughout their enjoying careers. For instance, Tony Allen was a six-time NBA all-defensive group member, and he performed on the 2008 Boston Celtics group that received an NBA Championship.

Maybe probably the most well-liked defendant was Glen Davis, who first gained stardom along with his “Massive Child” nickname in faculty at LSU. He was additionally on that 2008 Celtics group.

Two different defendants are additionally former NBA champions — Melvin Ely with the San Antonio Spurs in 2007 and Shannon Brown twice with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Tony Wroten averaged probably the most profession factors out of the eighteen defendants with 11.1 factors per sport common in 145 profession video games. However ESPN described a lot of the defendants as having “journeyman careers,” by no means reaching peak stardom.

Telfair was a highschool phenom in New York who was drafted thirteenth general by the Portland Path Blazers in 2004, NBC Information reported. But his NBA profession got here to be outlined by inconsistency as he bounced round between eight totally different NBA franchises.

Darius Miles was drafted third general by the Los Angeles Clippers in 2000. He was named to the first-team NBA All-Rookie group that yr, however his general profession was mediocre and featured a ten.1 profession factors common.

WMAQ mentioned prosecutors are nonetheless looking for “any and all property, actual or private, that constitutes or is derived, straight or not directly” to the alleged fraud.