In the billion-dollar business of US basketball, every player fights for his share of millions (Erik Drost/flickr/
18 players have relieved the National Basketball Association (NBA)’s health insurance of five million dollars. One is already serving a ten-year prison sentence for this, while others protested their innocence until the end. Now Glen Davis and Will Bynum have also been found guilty of insurance fraud by a jury in Manhattan. The approach wasn’t particularly sophisticated.
Both face a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison. With their conviction, Davis and Bynum join three players who have pleaded guilty in the health care fraud case – Sebastian Telfair, Darius Miles and Terrence Williams, the latter of whom was sentenced to 10 years in prison in August.
Williams, described as the head of the gang, and 17 other former players were named in an indictment in October 2021. Between 2017 and 2021, they falsified and submitted to the NBA’s health insurance provider medical and dental treatments that they never received. Williams posed as a health care worker and recruited NBA players to his cause. Authorities said Williams received at least $300,000 in bribes from the others involved for his efforts. When there were disagreements, Williams is also said to have pretended to be another person and threatened the others in order to get them to give in.
A dentist, a doctor and a chiropractor were also involved in the fraud. Prosecutors allege that doctors and dentists working with the players created fraudulent invoices that were submitted to supplementary insurance for reimbursement.
The 37-year-old Davis, who maintains his innocence to this day, is the highest-profile former player to be convicted in the case to date. He won a championship with the Celtics in 2008 after rising to college basketball fame by leading LSU to the Final Four in 2006. He is also known for his charismatic personality on and off the field.
An NBA player earns an average salary of around $7.5 million, yet many players can’t handle the money, waste it or get into debt. The scam was probably a bit of a way to get money quickly. The alleged fraudulent medical procedures included Davis and another player receiving crowns on the same six teeth on the same day and Davis receiving crowns on eight teeth in Beverly Hills despite being in Nevada. Bynum was accused of receiving about $182,000 for a fraudulent claim related to a chiropractic practice in Encino, California, and paying Williams $30,000 in bribes.
Author: VW editorial team
2023-11-19 23:03:20
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