Eighteen former players have recently been apprehended and charged with allegedly defrauding the NBA’s health and welfare benefit plan of almost $4 million.
According to reports, the players supposedly engaged in a collective scam to unlawfully obtain funds from the plan by submitting fabricated claims for dental and medical treatments. The illicit activities are said to have originated with a deceitful claim made by Terrence Williams in November 2017, seeking reimbursement for chiropractic services amounting to $19,000. Williams purportedly received $7,672 as payment through the plan.
Subsequently, the fraudulent operation expanded, with Williams allegedly providing other players with falsified invoices from a chiropractor and dentist in California, as well as a wellness facility in Washington state. In exchange, the players reportedly compensated Williams a share of the reimbursements they received.
The sum lost due to counterfeit claims is now estimated to be approximately $3.9 million. The indictment names a total of 19 individuals, with 18 being former players, 16 of whom were detained on Thursday morning.
Amongst the accused are Jamario Moon, Glen Davis, Tony Allen, and Allen’s spouse. While Davis and Allen amassed significant earnings, with $30 million each from their playing careers, most of the other implicated individuals moved between various NBA teams and did not reach the salary levels of the league’s elite players.
