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Former Lakers players Malik Beasley and Ed Davis were charged with wire fraud conspiracy and bribery in sporting contests by federal prosecutors in a sweeping indictment that included four other co-conspirators.
Both played one season with the Lakers during long careers, Beasley in 2022-2023 and Davis in 2014-2015.
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According to the indictment, Beasley illegally manipulated his performance to ensure gamblers won prop bets two years before he played for the Lakers and one year afterward.
Davis — described in the indictment as Beasley’s “gatekeeper” — allegedly collaborated to manipulate Beasley’s performance when they were Minnesota Timberwolves teammates during the 2020-21 season and did so again four times during the 2023-24 season while Beasley was with the Milwaukee Bucks.
The illegal activity allegedly began during a game Jan. 26, 2024, between the Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers. Beasley averaged 11.3 points during that season and 11.7 points during his career, but scored three points in that game.
Read more: ‘Bonkers’ bribery case raises questions about why NBA star Terry Rozier would allegedly risk millions by participating
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In total, the defendants and their co-conspirators placed fraudulent wagers totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars on Beasley’s fixed performances.
Also indicted were current NBA player agent Paolo Zamorano, William Brown, Robert Gorodetsky and Ernesto Plascencia. They are charged with wire fraud conspiracy, bribery in sporting contests and money laundering conspiracy for their alleged roles bribing Beasley to manipulate his performance. Zamorano was Davis’ agent.
Several of the defendants were arrested Monday.
“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,” said Joseph Nocella Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. “Bribery and insider betting schemes like this one involving former NBA players and a…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/former-lakers-malik-beasley-ed-190552413.html
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Publish date : 2026-06-29 19:05:00
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