Former Charlotte NBA Player Charged In Health Fraud Scheme
This is a crazy story that broke yesterday. I’m a huge NBA fan and this came out of nowhere.
18 former NBA players are in custody across the country for allegedly being involved in a health insurance fraud scheme. As the report states, authorities used travel records, email, and GPS data to break up the scheme.
Essentially, officials say the players would submit health insurance claims for work and procedures that never happened. Oh, the scandal. As an example, Gregory Smith, who played for the Houston Rockets, allegedly submitted claims for IV sedation, a root canal, and crowns that he said he received in Beverly Hills, California on December 20th, 2018. That day? He was actually playing ball in Taiwan. Oh no.
Strauss said the scheme started back in 2017, with former New Jersey Nets player Terrence Williams acting as the ringleader. She adds if Williams didn’t get kickbacks from other players involved. He tried to scare them by impersonating an employee from the insurance plan. In all, the defendants are alleged to have submitted $3.9-million in fake claims, with $2.5-million being paid out.
The list of defendants also includes Melvin Ely who played for the Charlotte Bobcats. In addition, Alan Anderson, Anthony Allen, Shannon Brown, William Bynum, Ronald Glen “Big Baby” Davis, Christopher Douglas-Roberts, Jamario Moon, Darius Miles, Milton Palacio, Ruben Patterson, Eddie Robinson, Sebastian Telfair, Charles Watson Jr., Antoine Wright, and Anthony Wroten.
Source: NBC News