TLDR
- Malik Beasley pleaded not guilty to four federal charges tied to an alleged prop-bet rigging scheme.
- He was released on $100,000 bond and must return to court on Aug. 6.
- Ed Davis is accused of acting as a “gatekeeper” between Beasley and the betting ring.
- Damon Jones was named as a co-conspirator in a separate filing tied to the case.
- Prosecutors say the group wagered hundreds of thousands of dollars, including one bet that won $121,000.
Former NBA guard Malik Beasley pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to four federal charges. The charges stem from an indictment filed in the Eastern District of New York.
Prosecutors allege Beasley conspired with a group of gamblers. They say the plan involved rigging player prop bets during four games in the 2023-24 season.
Beasley was released on $100,000 bond. He must appear again at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn on Aug. 6.
At the time of the alleged scheme, Beasley played for the Milwaukee Bucks. He faces charges of sports bribery, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, honest services fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Ed Davis Named as Alleged Gatekeeper
Ed Davis was Beasley’s teammate on the Minnesota Timberwolves during the 2020-21 season. He is one of six people charged in the case.
Federal prosecutors describe Davis as the “gatekeeper” to Beasley. They allege Beasley took bribes in exchange for manipulating his points and rebounds numbers.
Some of that money allegedly went toward paying off loans from Davis. Prosecutors say those loans covered gambling debts that reached into the millions over Davis’s nine-year NBA career.
Paolo Zamorano, a registered NBA Players Association agent, was also arraigned Wednesday. He pleaded not guilty and was released on the same bond terms as Beasley.
U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. commented on the case when the indictment was unsealed. He said schemes like this hurt the integrity of sports and affect fans who watch them.
Beasley faces up to 20 years in prison on both the wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy counts. The bribery charge carries a maximum of five years.
Damon Jones Named in Separate Filing
Federal prosecutors filed a document after Monday’s indictments naming former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones as a co-conspirator in the Beasley case.
Jones has already pleaded not guilty in a related case. That case involves former player Terry Rozier, who is set to stand trial in February on sports corruption charges.
Prosecutors say the gambling ring also included an unindicted co-conspirator. That person is described as a current Division II men’s basketball assistant coach.
The group allegedly placed hundreds of thousands of dollars in bets across the four games in question. One single bet reportedly won $121,000.
Court documents include text messages between alleged co-conspirators Zamorano, Rob Gorodetsky, Ernesto Plascencia, and William Brown. The messages reportedly show the group worried about whether their bets would pay off.
One exchange referenced March 10, 2024. Beasley grabbed a rebound with 1.1 seconds left in a game against the Los Angeles Clippers, a play prosecutors say secured the group’s winnings.
Prosecutors say the ring began to fall apart over time. Members reportedly grew suspicious of each other over how winnings were split and how bets were chosen.
