Former NBA players Malik Beasley and Ed Davis were indicted in the latest wave of charges stemming from the government’s sprawling gambling investigation that has rocked the league, according to an indictment unsealed Monday.
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Federal prosecutors alleged that Beasley, while he was playing for the Milwaukee Bucks, agreed with Davis in 2024 to manipulate his performance in several games so Davis and other co-conspirators could place fraudulent wagers on his performance.
In return for fixing multiple games, Beasley accepted bribes, which were typically used to reduce or pay off debts that he owed Davis, the indictment alleges. Davis extended Beasley several loans after he racked up millions in gambling debt, despite earning tens of millions of dollars during his nine-year NBA career, federal prosecutors said.
“Bribery and insider betting schemes like this one involving former NBA players … who exploited inside NBA information for profit erode the integrity of American sports and victimize the sports-watching public,” U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said.
Six people, including Beasley and Davis, were charged in the indictment with wire fraud conspiracy, bribery in sporting contests, honest services wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy.
Attorneys for Beasley and Davis didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. As of Monday, Beasley was not in custody. Davis was arrested and will be arraigned in Brooklyn later.
Federal prosecutors said the betting ring placed illegal bets totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars, including wagers amounting to $75,000 with winnings of at least $121,000. Davis, who has been out of the NBA since 2022, was among those placing bets on Beasley’s individual performance, the indictment says.
“Only way you can beat Vegas is sports betting,” Davis texted Beasley in 2023, a month before the first alleged fixed game. “We can make some good money.”
The Bucks didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Mike Bass, an NBA spokesman, said in a statement: “We are in the process of reviewing the federal indictment unsealed today involving Malik Beasley and Ed Davis. We will continue to investigate this matter and cooperate with the relevant authorities.”
He added, “We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and the integrity of our game remains our top priority.”
Prosecutors detailed at least four games in which the defendants are alleged to have schemed to have Beasley manipulate individual game stats for the benefit of gamblers:
- Beasley is alleged to have told other defendants to bet on his securing less than 3.5 rebounds during the Bucks-Cleveland Cavaliers game on Jan. 6, 2024. He pulled down one board that night.
- Authorities alleged that the plan for a Feb. 27, 2024, game between the Bucks and Charlotte Hornets was for Beasley to score less than 12.5 points and grab more than 3.5 rebounds. He did both, with six points and four boards.
- Beasley is alleged to have conspired with gamblers to grab more than 3.5 rebounds during a March 10, 2024, game between the Bucks and the Los Angeles Clippers. He cut it close, securing his fourth board of the game with a second left on the clock.
- The scheme failed at least once, prosecutors said, alleging that Beasley was supposed to underperform in rebounds during a March 21, 2024, Bucks-Brooklyn Nets game. Beasley grabbed six rebounds that night, well above his 3.7 average that season.
Current and former NBA players, along with a coach, were among nearly three dozen people indicted in connection with two major alleged operations last year: one involving the rigging of high-stakes poker games allegedly backed by the Mafia and the other using nonpublic information to place bets on multiple NBA games.
Among the defendants in the cases are members and associates of four major Mafia crime families, as well as Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and ex-NBA player Damon Jones.
In April, Jones, 49, pleaded guilty in a gambling sweep that led to the arrests of more than 30 people, including reputed mobsters and other basketball figures.
Jones entered guilty pleas to two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his role in schemes to defraud major sportsbooks, including DraftKings and FanDuel, and filch millions of dollars from unwitting poker players.
Jones said he used “insider information” through his relationships in the NBA to gain an edge in sports bets.
Federal prosecutors said Jones is a co-conspirator in the newly unsealed indictment involving Beasley and Davis, and his alleged involvement is likely to be considered when he is sentenced, according to a filing.
