A New York grand jury has indicted former NBA players Malik Beasley and Ed Davis on gambling-related charges. They are among the six men charged in the indictment that was unsealed in Brooklyn on Monday by prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. Also charged in the indictment is current NBA player agent Paolo Zamorano.
The former NBA stars were charged with wire fraud conspiracy, bribery in sporting contests, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, and money laundering conspiracy. They all allegedly took part in a plot to bribe Malik Beasley to alter his performance in NBA games and to use insider knowledge of Beasley’s planned performances to profit from illegal wagering.
“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,” United States Attorney Nocella said in a statement.
“Bribery and insider betting schemes like this one involving former NBA players and a current NBA player agent who exploited inside NBA information for profit erode the integrity of American sports and victimize the sports-watching public. Our Office will continue in its strong tradition of holding accountable anyone who seeks to corrupt sports through illegal means.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office provided three examples of allegedly influenced games
The first was a Jan. 26, 2024, game between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Cleveland Cavaliers. In that game, prosecutors allege that Malik Beasley “informed Davis that he intended to underperform with respect to rebounding in the game. Beasley provided this information to Davis to obtain a promised bribe payment and for the purpose of enabling Davis and other co-conspirators to place wagers based on this non-public information.”
The second game occurred on Feb. 22, 2024, when the Bucks played the Charlotte Hornets. For that game, Beasley informed Davis that he “intended to underperform with respect to points and overperform with respect to rebounding in the game. Beasley provided this information to Davis to obtain a promised bribe payment and for the purpose of enabling Davis and other co-conspirators to place wagers based on this non-public information.”
The third example given by prosecutors took place on March 10, 2024. In that game, the Bucks were playing the Los Angeles Clippers when Beasley informed Davis that he “intended to overperform with respect to rebounding in the game. Beasley provided this information to Davis to obtain a promised bribe payment and for the purpose of enabling Davis and other co-conspirators to place wagers based on this non-public information.”
In all three cases, Ed Davis “subsequently disseminated the non-public information regarding Beasley to multiple co-conspirators … to enable them to place fraudulent wagers.”
Each of the defendants faces a potential penalty of 20 years in jail for wire fraud conspiracy, 20 years in prison for money laundering conspiracy, and five years in prison for bribery in athletic events.