Six individuals, including former National Basketball Association (NBA) players Malik Beasley and Edward Davis, and current NBA player agent Paolo Zamorano, have been indicted on charges of wire fraud conspiracy, bribery in sporting contests, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, and money laundering conspiracy. The charges stem from an alleged scheme to bribe Beasley to manipulate his performance in NBA games, allowing co-conspirators to profit from illegal betting. Several defendants were arrested today and are awaiting arraignment in the Eastern District of New York.
According to the indictment unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn, Beasley, while playing for the Milwaukee Bucks, allegedly agreed with his former teammate Davis to underperform or overperform specific betting statistics in games. This non-public information was then used by Davis, William Brown, Robert Gorodetsky, Ernesto Plascencia, Zamorano, and others to place fraudulent wagers. In return for fixing his performance, Beasley reportedly received bribes, often in the form of reduced or paid-off gambling debts to Davis.
The alleged scheme involved hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraudulent wagers across multiple betting operators. Specific instances cited include a January 26, 2024 game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, where Beasley allegedly intended to underperform in rebounding. Another game on February 27, 2024, against the Charlotte Hornets, saw Beasley reportedly planning to underperform in points and overperform in rebounding. A third example from March 10, 2024, against the Los Angeles Clippers, involved Beasley allegedly intending to overperform in rebounding.
United States Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said, "As alleged, the defendants turned professional basketball into a criminal betting operation, bribing then-NBA player Malik Beasley to fix his performance in multiple games in order to place fraudulent wagers, enrich themselves and cheat legitimate sportsbooks." FBI Assistant Director in Charge James C. Barnacle, Jr. added, "As alleged, Malik Beasley allowed himself to be bought and altered his gametime performance to line pockets of Ed Davis and his other co-conspirators." If convicted, defendants face up to 20 years imprisonment for wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy counts, and five years for bribery in sporting contests.