Former NBA stars Malik Beasley and Ed Davis have been charged in connection with an alleged illegal sports betting scheme, according to prosecutors.
Beasley and Davis are facing charges alongside four alleged co-conspirators, identified as William Brown, Robert Gorodetsky, Ernesto Plascencia and current NBA player agent Paolo Zamorano, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York said Monday. The six men are accused of working to bribe Beasley to manipulate his performance in games and using that insider information to “profit via illegal betting activity,” prosecutors 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,” U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella said in a statement.
Prosecutors allege Beasley, a player for the Milwaukee Bucks at the time, agreed to alter his performance during games and accepted bribes from his co-defendants, who used that information to place bets based on his performance “with the intention of profiting off the scheme.”
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.