Basketball stars Malik Beasley and Ed Davis among suspects charged in plot to bet on NBA games
Former NBA stars Malik Beasley and Ed Davis have been indicted in connection with an alleged illegal sports betting and bribery scheme.
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 announced Monday.
Prosecutors claimed Beasley agreed to alter his performance during multiple games while playing for the Milwaukee Bucks from 2023 to 2024 and accepted bribes from his co-defendants, who used that “non-public information” to place bets based on his performance “with the intention of profiting off the scheme.”
“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 Jr. said in a statement.
The group is accused of attempting to “unlawfully earn hundreds of thousands of dollars” through this “illegal betting ring,” according to James Barnacle Jr., the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s New York field office.
“As alleged, Malik Beasley allowed himself to be bought and altered his gametime performance to line pockets of Ed Davis and his other co-conspirators,” he said.
Prosecutors said “several” defendants were arrested Monday and will be arraigned at an unspecified later date.
“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,” Nocella added.
The indictment listed multiple examples of Milwaukee Bucks games that were influenced by this alleged scheme, including a match against the Cleveland Cavaliers on January 26, 2024.
Prosecutors alleged Beasley told Davis he planned to underperform during that game in exchange for a bribe payment, and that this information was passed along to the other co-defendants, allowing them to place “fraudulent wagers,” many of which were “successful.”
Other impacted Bucks games included a match against the Charlotte Hornets on February 27, 2024, and another against the Los Angeles Clippers on March 10, 2024, according to the indictment.
The Independent has contacted Beasley’s attorney and the NBA for comment. The Independent was unable to immediately identify attorneys for Davis, Brown, Gorodetsky, Plascencia and Zamorano.
“We’ll review the indictment and vigorously the charges and maintain Malik’s innocence,” Beasley’s attorney Steve Haney told The Athletic.
Beasley joined the Milwaukee Bucks in 2023 following stints with the Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz, Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets. The 29-year-old moved to the Detroit Pistons for the 2024-2025 season, and earlier this year, he signed with the Santurce Crabbers, a Puerto Rican team co-owned by music star Bad Bunny.
Davis, 37, most recently played for the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2021-2022 season. He and Bealsey were teammates on the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2020 and 2021.
