A former professional basketball player has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for orchestrating a fraudulent scheme that defrauded the National Basketball Association’s health care plan of over $5 million.
Terrence Williams, the 11th overall pick in the 2009 draft, received his sentence from US District Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan. Williams pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy and aggravated identity theft, admitting his involvement in a ring that filed false claims for medical and dental expenses.
For related news, see: 18 ex-NBA players charged in $4M health care fraud scheme
“Your actions, among all the defendants in this case, were the most severe,” stated Judge Caproni before imposing the sentence.
Williams, formerly a New Jersey Nets player, was one of more than 20 individuals charged with defrauding the health care plan, including fellow former NBA players Sebastian Telfair, Darius Miles, and Glen “Big Baby” Davis. Prosecutors revealed that Williams orchestrated the scheme and received at least $300,000 in kickbacks from the others involved.
Telfair and Miles have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing, while Davis has entered a plea of not guilty.
Prosecutors requested that Caproni sentence Williams to more than 10 years in prison, referring to the scheme as a “staggering fraud.” From 2017 to 2021, Williams recruited former NBA players, forged signatures, posed as health plan employees, and collaborated with healthcare providers to produce fabricated medical necessity letters justifying fraudulent procedures.
Williams, 36, argued for a sentence of slightly over four years. He explained in court documents that his upbringing was marked by poverty, drug addiction, abuse, and parental absence. Williams detailed how both of his parents had been incarcerated during his childhood, and his father was murdered when he was only six years old. Additionally, he attributed his opioid addiction to a basketball injury.
“Many of my poor decisions in this case were a result of my long-standing opioid addiction,” Williams expressed to the judge prior to sentencing. “The other portion was due to sheer ignorance and greed.”
Read More: Former NBA Players Charged With Defrauding Health-Care Plan
Williams has already served one and a half years in custody. Following his arrest, Caproni revoked his bail after finding that he had threatened a witness. The time already served will count towards his sentence.
As part of his plea agreement, Williams has agreed to pay $2.5 million in restitution to the NBA health plan, equal to the amount of the plan’s loss. He has also forfeited $654,000. However, Caproni noted that Williams does not possess any funds.
The NBA scam bears resemblance to a previous case involving former National Football League players, including ex-Washington running back Clinton Portis, who were charged in 2019. Portis and the other ex-players were accused of defrauding an NFL health care program by falsifying purchases of expensive medical equipment, such as hyperbaric oxygen chambers and ultrasound machines.
The case is U.S. v. Williams, 21-cr-00603, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan).
– Assisted by Chris Dolmetsch
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