Former NBA player Terrence Williams has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for orchestrating a health care fraud scheme against the league. Williams, who played for the New Jersey Nets and three other NBA teams from 2009 to 2013, led a scheme that involved at least 19 players in defrauding the NBA Players’ Health and Welfare Benefit Plan into paying millions of dollars for fake medical procedures.
Williams pleaded guilty last August to conspiracy to commit health care and wire fraud, as well as aggravated identity theft. U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan federal court handed down the sentence and ordered Williams to pay $2.5 million in restitution to the health plan and forfeit $653,673 as part of his plea agreement.
The 36-year-old father of six has been incarcerated since May 2022, after prosecutors accused him of threatening a witness through text messages.
The scheme involved Williams recruiting players to submit false invoices for medical and dental work that was never performed in exchange for kickbacks totaling at least $300,000. He was also accused of impersonating a health plan manager to intimidate another player into engaging with him after not paying a kickback.
Prosecutors revealed that at least $5 million in false claims were submitted, resulting in the defendants receiving $2.5 million in fraudulent proceeds. Among the questionable cases was an invoice claiming that former Boston Celtics player Tony Allen and another player received crowns on the same six teeth on the same day.
More than half of the 24 people charged in the investigation have already pleaded guilty. Sentencing for other defendants, including Tony Allen, is also underway.
Written by:
Dana Sterling-Editor
