On Thursday (May 9), Former NBA forward Glen “Big Baby” Davis was sentenced to 40 months (3 years and 4 months) in prison for defrauding the NBA’s healthcare plan.
According to a report, Davis submitted a total of $132,000 worth of claims and said he received $27,000 worth of a work from a dental procedure in Beverly Hills even though he was traveling between Las Vegas and Paris on the day of the operation.
“Williams also impersonated others to help him take what was not his — money that belonged to the Plan.”
In addition to Davis, numerous former players such as Terrence Williams and Keyon Dooling, have been sentenced in the case for filing false medical claims with the NBA Players’ Health and Benefit Welfare Plan.
Williams, who was the 11th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, pleaded guilty to piracy and aggravated identity theft. He also admitted he led the plan to submit false claims for medical and dental expenses.
“Williams led a scheme involving more than 18 former NBA players, a dentist, a doctor, and a chiropractor, to defraud the NBA Players’ Health and Welfare Benefit Plan of millions of dollars,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement in August 2022. “Williams also impersonated others to help him take what was not his — money that belonged to the Plan.”
Former Coney Island high school star and ex-Los Angeles Clipper Sebastian Telfair avoided prison for his role in the scam but was given three years probation and was ordered to forfeit more than $350,000 in January.
Ex-NBA player Will Bynum received an 18-month prison sentence and was forced to return $183,000 in April.
The players, who earned a combined $360 million during their NBA careers, are said to have submitted “false and fraudulent claims for reimbursement of expenses for medical and dental services that were not actually rendered,” according to a report from Manhattan federal prosecutors in October of 2021.
Davis was a member of the Boston Celtics’ 2008 NBA championship team. He was ordered to pay $80,000 in restitution.