Yesterday, former NBA players Glen “Big Baby” Davis and William Bynum were convicted for their parts in defrauding the NBA Players’ Health and Benefit Welfare Plan.
The U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York revealed the two had been found guilty of conspiracy charges.
“While many of the more than 20 defendants convicted in this case were well-known NBA stars, their conduct was otherwise a typical fraudulent scheme designed to defraud the NBA’s health care plan and net the defendants over $5 million in illicit profits,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams in a statement.
The former NBA players were part of a group of 18 former players who, in 2021, were accused of stealing $2.5 million from the Plan through bogus medical and dental claims of $4 million. Officials said the players received $2.5 million for the services that never actually happened.
This past August, Terrence Williams, the leader of the group, was found guilty and sentenced to 10 years in jail. Prosecutors said that he recruited other former players to take part in the scheme, of which he received a percentage of the fraudulent claims. His cut was reported to be $230,000.
Despite their status, they were all caught in the end.
The list includes Tony Allen and his wife, Desiree; Shannon Brown, Melvin Ely, Sebastian Telfair, Darius Miles, Milt Palacio, Eddie Robinson, Ruben Patterson, Antoine Wright, Jamario Moon, Christopher Douglas-Roberts, Charles Watson Jr., Anthony Wroten, Alan Anderson, Gregory Smith and the aforementioned Davis and Bynum.
