The NBA is in a mess right now.
NBC News reported that 18 former NBA players were charged with scamming $4 million from the NBA's Health and Welfare Benefit Plan. They were caught due to grammatical errors and other red flags on their phony paperwork.
The indictment states that former players led by Terrence Williams (ex-Celtic) devised a scheme to defraud NBA benefits plans by submitting bogus medical and dental claims to get reimbursed.
Advertisement
Among the most notable players are Tony Allen, Glen Big Baby Davis and Shannon Brown. Sebastian Telfair and Darius Miles were also charged.
G/O Media might get a commission of 57% on Slimline Windproof Lighter. A fully charged battery can last for weeks!
You can carry it with you everywhere. Buy at StackSocial for $15
Williams was allegedly paid kickback payments of at least $230,000 from 10 other players in return for providing fake paperwork.
Federal officials claim that the man tried to impersonate a claims processor in order to intimidate a player who refused him a kickback.
Advertisement
This alleged plot lasted from 2017 through 2020. Plan administrators received fabricated claims of approximately $3.9 million. They are accused of receiving $2.5 million from the fake claims.
According to the indictment, Williams was a lottery pick in 2009 NBA Draft. The indictment alleges that he orchestrated the scheme, and recruited other NBA participants to the scam by giving them fake invoices they could claim as their own.
Advertisement
Fake invoices and medical necessity forms are often unusual because they do not use letterhead. They also have unusual formatting and grammatical errors.
The NFL faced a similar situation last month with its ex-players when Tamarick Vanover and Clinton Portis pleaded guilty to their roles in a scheme to defraud the nation's wellness plans. They could be facing years in prison.
Advertisement
The NBA does not have a history, unlike the NFL, of withholding medical money from its players. The situation for ex-NFL players is very different from that of former NFL football players.
Allen was a renowned defender in the NBA's throughout his career. Davis was a beloved character in the league and played a pivotal role in the 2008 Boston Celtics championship run.
Advertisement
I won't speculate on what will happen in this case. While a large part of me does not want these men to be sent to prison, I do want them to stop receiving any benefits money moving forward and to face some form of restitution.
Play stupid games and you will win stupid prizes
