https://apnews.com/article/nba-sports-business-basketball-indictments-a785d565968ec3e50600baf67d9b64e3

18 ex-NBA players charged in $4M health care fraud scheme
By LARRY NEUMEISTER and TIM REYNOLDS


NEW YORK (AP) — Eighteen former NBA players have been charged with defrauding the league’s health and welfare benefit plan out of about $4 million, according to an indictment Thursday in New York.

Federal prosecutors planned a news conference to describe the case that was brought in Manhattan federal court. By late morning, 16 of the defendants were in custody, authorities said.

According to the indictment, the ex-players engaged in a widespread scheme to defraud the plan by submitting false and fraudulent claims to get reimbursed for medical and dental expenses that were never actually incurred.

The 18 players were among 19 individuals charged in the indictment. It said that the scheme was carried out from at least 2017 to 2020, when the plan received false claims totaling about $3.9 million. Of that, the defendants received about $2.5 million in fraudulent proceeds.

A request for comment to the league wasn’t immediately returned.

Among those charged was Anthony Allen, a six-time All-Defensive team selection and a member of the 2008 champion Boston Celtics. His wife was also indicted. For the most part, though, the ex-players charged had journeyman careers playing for several different teams and never reached anywhere close to the enormous stardom or salary that top players command.

Another former player charged in the scheme was Sebastian Telfair, a one-time high school star in New York who was highly touted when he turned pro, though his NBA career with eight franchises never brought the stardom some had expected.

Those charged also included four NBA champions. Ronald Glen Davis, along with Allen, was part of that 2008 title team in Boston. Shannon Brown won two championships with the Los Angeles Lakers, and Melvin Ely won a title with San Antonio in 2007.

Among others who were charged, Anthony Wroten, Ruben Patterson and Darius Miles were the only players who averaged double figures for their NBA career.

Wroten averaged 11.1 points in 145 career games. Patterson averaged 10.7 points per game with six different teams. Miles, the No. 3 pick in the 2000 draft, averaged 10.1 points per game and played with four different franchises.

___

AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds is based in Miami.

Darius Miles, Big Baby, and Telfair were all part of this. I know
Telfair has priors on his record, and the fact that this is a federal case
makes it a serious felony. He might have to do some major time.

Hopefully, this is a first time offense for the others, and they get served
probation and ordered to pay back the money. White Collar executives
and companies defraud the public regularly, and most of those cases
lead to slaps on the wrist.

https://www.npr.org/2021/09/08/1035081837/former-nfl-players-plead-guilty-to-fraud-scheme-stealing-from-health-care-fund

Three former NFL players have pleaded guilty to a health care fraud scheme, bringing the total number of retired players who've pleaded guilty to 15, the Department of Justice announced Tuesday.

Clinton Portis, who most recently played for the Washington Football team, and Tamarick Vanover, who played for the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Diego Chargers, entered their guilty pleas last Friday. Robert McCune, who played for several NFL teams, plead guilty to the charges in late August.

The former players admitted to defrauding the Gene Upshaw NFL Player Health Reimbursement Account Plan, which was created in 2006. The health care plan gave tax-free reimbursements to health expenses that weren't covered by insurance for up to $350,000 per player.

But the players submitted false claims to the plan, and were paid out for expensive medical equipment that they never actually obtained. Prosecutors say Portis got $99,264 in benefits over a two month period. Vanover recruited three other former players and got $159,510 paid out. McCune, who turned the fraud into a nation-wide scheme, got approximately $2.9 million submitted in false claims, according to court documents.

Some of the expensive devices that the former players filed for include "hyperbaric oxygen chambers, cryotherapy machines, ultrasound machines designed for use by a doctor's office to conduct women's health examinations and electromagnetic therapy devices designed for use on horses."

Portis and Vanover face a maximum of 10 years in prison and will be sentenced in Jan. 2022. McCune faces up to 20 years for each count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and health care fraud, along with additional penalties for other counts. He will be sentenced on Nov. 19.

Fifteen players in total have plead guilty to charges of fraud. Ten players were charged by federal prosecutors in 2019 for being part of the health care fraud scheme; the next year, five additional retired players were charged.

Did some of the NFL guys talk to the NBA guys? Just seems random that both NFL and NBA players would be caught up in similar healthcare fraud cases.

Darius Miles made 62 mil.
Tony Allen made 40 mil.
Large Infant made 34 mil.

Etc.

It's really mind boggling some may go to jail over like 200k.

through money...

>Darius Miles made 62 mil.
>Tony Allen made 40 mil.
>Large Infant made 34 mil.
>
>Etc.
>
>It's really mind boggling some may go to jail over like 200k.

when they got involved they probably thought it would be more, this is news because of the indictments put some of these guys that aren't used to that kind of money get swindled on all kinds of get rich quick schemes. Antoine Walker made over $100 million and filed for bankruptcy

>https://apnews.com/article/nba-sports-business-basketball-indictments-a785d565968ec3e50600baf67d9b64e3
>
>18 ex-NBA players charged in $4M health care fraud scheme
>By LARRY NEUMEISTER and TIM REYNOLDS
>
>
>NEW YORK (AP) — Eighteen former NBA players have been
>charged with defrauding the league’s health and welfare
>benefit plan out of about $4 million, according to an
>indictment Thursday in New York.
>
>Federal prosecutors planned a news conference to describe the
>case that was brought in Manhattan federal court. By late
>morning, 16 of the defendants were in custody, authorities
>said.
>
>According to the indictment, the ex-players engaged in a
>widespread scheme to defraud the plan by submitting false and
>fraudulent claims to get reimbursed for medical and dental
>expenses that were never actually incurred.
>
>The 18 players were among 19 individuals charged in the
>indictment. It said that the scheme was carried out from at
>least 2017 to 2020, when the plan received false claims
>totaling about $3.9 million. Of that, the defendants received
>about $2.5 million in fraudulent proceeds.
>
>A request for comment to the league wasn’t immediately
>returned.
>
>Among those charged was Anthony Allen, a six-time
>All-Defensive team selection and a member of the 2008 champion
>Boston Celtics. His wife was also indicted. For the most part,
>though, the ex-players charged had journeyman careers playing
>for several different teams and never reached anywhere close
>to the enormous stardom or salary that top players command.
>
>Another former player charged in the scheme was Sebastian
>Telfair, a one-time high school star in New York who was
>highly touted when he turned pro, though his NBA career with
>eight franchises never brought the stardom some had expected.
>
>Those charged also included four NBA champions. Ronald Glen
>Davis, along with Allen, was part of that 2008 title team in
>Boston. Shannon Brown won two championships with the Los
>Angeles Lakers, and Melvin Ely won a title with San Antonio in
>2007.
>
>Among others who were charged, Anthony Wroten, Ruben Patterson
>and Darius Miles were the only players who averaged double
>figures for their NBA career.
>
>Wroten averaged 11.1 points in 145 career games. Patterson
>averaged 10.7 points per game with six different teams. Miles,
>the No. 3 pick in the 2000 draft, averaged 10.1 points per
>game and played with four different franchises.
>
>___
>
>AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds is based in Miami.