Topline
Former NBA player Terrence Williams was sentenced to 10 years in prison Thursday and ordered to pay $2.5 million in restitution for defrauding a league healthcare plan into paying bogus invoices, making Williams one of the latest former players to receive a prison sentence over the scheme.
Williams admitted to being the leader of the scheme, which involved more than a dozen NBA players. … [+] (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
Key Facts
Williams, who admitted to leading the scheme and pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy and aggravated identity theft, was said by prosecutors to have made at least $300,000 in kickbacks from other players.
Williams, sentenced in the Southern District of New York, will pay $2.5 million in restitution to the NBA Players’ Health and Welfare Benefit Plan and forfeit $654,000 as part of his plea deal.
Throughout the scheme’s approximate four-year run from 2017 to 2021, the former New Jersey Nets player impersonated health plan employees and recruited legitimate healthcare providers and NBA players to “expand his criminal conspiracy and maximize his ill-gotten gains,” according to a statement from U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, who called the scheme “brazen.”
Prosecutors found Williams threatened one of the healthcare providers who created fraudulent invoices for him and threatened a witness after he was charged and arrested last year, telling them they were “talking way to[o] f***ing much” and that “me spitting in your face is exactly what you’ll see.”
Presiding U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni said Williams, who has been behind bars since May 2022, has no money, according to Bloomberg.
What To Watch For
More than 20 people have been charged with defrauding the NBA plan, though defendants’ sentences have varied. Earlier this year, former NBA Players Keyon Dooling And Alan Anderson were sentenced to 30 months and 24 months in prison, respectively. Both players are awaiting sentencing. Former NBA player Glen “Big Baby” Davis has pleaded not guilty to his charges.
Key Background
Williams, 36, argued that his sentence should be no more than four years, claiming in court papers his childhood was “shaped by poverty, drug addiction, abuse, parental absence and instability.” Williams blamed half of his actions on an opioid addiction and the other half on his own “stupidity and greed.” The former NBA player is a father of six and was born and raised in Seattle, living in the city prior to his arrest in 2021. From 2009 to 2013, Williams played for the New Jersey Nets, Houston Rockets, Sacramento Kings and Boston Celtics.
Further Reading
‘Stupidity and greed’: Former NBA player gets 10 years for defrauding league health care plan (Fortune)
