Former NBA Players Malik Beasley, Ed Davis Indicted in Alleged Betting-Fixing Scheme

• Former NBA players Malik Beasley and Ed Davis have been indicted on federal charges tied to an alleged player prop betting scheme
• Beasley alleged to have shared insider information and manipulated his on-court performances, while co-conspirators placed hundreds of thousands of dollars in wagers
• Beasley, who made close to $60 million during his NBA career, was playing for the Milwaukee Bucks at the time

Former National Basketball Association players Malik Beasley and Ed Davis have been indicted by U.S. prosecutors on gambling-related charges, the latest in a line of professional athletes accused of working with gamblers to rig bets.

Rigging Prop Bets

Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn unsealed a sweeping indictment yesterday, alleging that former NBA player Malik Beasley worked directly with fellow veteran Ed Davis in a sophisticated scheme to manipulate on-court player prop bets.

Beasley and Davis—along with alleged co-conspirators William Brown, Robert Gorodetsky, Ernesto Plascencia, and current NBA player agent Paolo Zamorano—face heavy federal charges.

The counts include wire fraud conspiracy, bribery in sporting contests, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, and money laundering conspiracy, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.

How the Scheme Operated

The illicit operation allegedly targeted at least three 2024 games while Beasley was a member of the Milwaukee Bucks. According to court documents, Beasley tipped off Davis on whether he intended to intentionally underperform or overperform on his projected point and rebound totals in exchange for bribes.

Davis then funneled that non-public insider data to Brown, Gorodetsky, Plascencia, and Zamorano. Armed with the inside track, the co-conspirators placed fraudulent wagers climbing into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, netting massive payouts when Beasley hit his marks.

Millions in Gambling Losses Provide Motive

The prosecution’s most staggering revelation exposes the motive behind the corruption. Despite earning nearly $60 million during his nine-year NBA career according to Spotrac data, Beasley had quietly accumulated millions of dollars in crippling gambling debts.

Prosecutors allege that the “bribes” Beasley received were rarely direct cash payouts; instead, the ring rewarded his cooperation by systematically reducing or completely wiping out the massive debts he owed to Davis, who was acting as his bookie.

The Official Backlash

The Department of Justice minced no words regarding the breach of athletic integrity.

“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,” said Joseph Nocella Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.

“Our Office will continue in its strong tradition of holding accountable anyone who seeks to corrupt sports through illegal means,” Nocella Jr warned.

Defense Position and Potential Prison Sentences

The defense, however, urges caution before rushing to judgment. “Malik maintains his presumption of innocence throughout this two-year investigation,” Beasley’s attorney, Steven Haney, said in a statement to Reuters. “We ask that people reserve judgment until all the facts are known.”

The legal stakes for everyone involved are incredibly high. If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison on the wire fraud conspiracy counts, an additional 20 years on the money laundering conspiracy charge, and up to five years for the sports bribery counts.