Former NBA players Malik Beasley, 29, and Edward Davis, 37, were indicted on federal charges alleging they manipulated games to win prop bets. The case also involves several other names, including Davis’ former agent.
Prosecutors Charge Beasley and Davis
Beasley, who most recently played as a guard with the Detroit Pistons, has been under investigation since last year over an alleged gambling scheme. He and Davis, who is a former teammate of Beasley on the Minnesota Wolves, are among six defendants charged in a Brooklyn federal court. The charges include fraud conspiracy, bribery in sporting contests, and money laundering conspiracy.
According to federal prosecutors, Beasley owed Davis gambling debts, so the two decided to create the scheme in order to pay it off and also gain some more. Both men allegedly coordinated which games Beasley would intentionally overperform or underperform in statistical categories such as rebounds and points scored.
In one alleged incident, Beasley told Davis he intended to exceed the 3.5-rebound prop line during Milwaukee’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers on March 10, 2024. With only one second remaining and the Bucks leading by seven, a Clippers shot had no bearing on the outcome. However, Beasley contested the attempt before sprinting past four players to secure the rebound as the final buzzer sounded. He finished the game with four rebounds, which was enough to win a placed prop bet.
US Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. claimed the defendants turned professional basketball into a criminal betting operation. He also said they facilitated hundreds of thousands of dollars in wagers through major online gambling platforms.
The indictment cites Beasley’s financial troubles as a prime motivation for the alleged scheme. There were several highly-publicized cases about this, including Beasley being evicted from his home last year during the investigation, as the former NBA player allegedly owed over $20,000 in back rent on his luxurious The Stott high-rise in Detroit, where he had been renting an apartment.
Who Else Was Charged?
Beasley and Davis aren’t the only ones charged by the recent indictment. It also names four other alleged co-conspirators, namely William Brown, of Nebraska, Robert Gorodetsky, of Illinois, Ernesto Plascencia of California, and Paolo Zamorano.
Zamorano, 39, stands out from these names as he was a former Division I men’s basketball player and Davis’ former agent. His attorney, Ken Breen, said Zamorano denies the allegations that he had placed bets using Beasley’s information and that he “looks forward to his day in court.”
Interestingly, this isn’t the only high-profile NBA betting case that is going on currently. Another one revolves around former Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, who recently pleaded not guilty to new bribery accusations, which add to an already complicated legal battle and betting scandal that has been unfolding since last year.