For American citizens, medical costs are a big problem and somewhat prevent them from accessing this service. An ambulance call can cost up to $1,200 and includes many other expensive medical expenses. That’s why being covered by health insurance can reduce a lot of financial pressure, but many NBA players have taken advantage of this for personal gain.

18 names of former NBA players were prosecuted by a New York City federal court for health insurance fraud. Notably, there are many people who were NBA champions and quite famous in the last decade. The verdict was announced live on television by the prosecutor, and it seemed that the 18 players mentioned above were in big trouble. The amount of money cheated was up to $4 million, and each player shared $222,222 equally.

Currently, the list includes 18 NBA player names involved in the fraud as follows:

1. Terrence Williams
2. Alan Anderson
3. Tony Allen
4. Shannon Brown
5. William Bynum
6. Melvin Ely
7. Christopher Douglas-Roberts
8. Tony Wroten
9. Milt Palacio
10. Sebastian Telfair
11. Antoine Wright
12. Darius Miles
13. Ruben Patterson
14. Eddie Robinson
15. Gregory Smith
16. Glen Davis
17. Jamario Moon
18. Desiree Allen

Among the above veterans, Terrence Williams will probably bear the greatest responsibility as he was the one who cheated first and manipulated other players. Glen Davis and Shannon Brown are notable names as they both won NBA championships in 2008, 2009 and 2010. In addition, Tony Allen was a famous defensive master when he was a player in the NBA on the Memphis Grizzlies roster.

16 out of 18 veterans were arrested by police in dozens of locations in the US. According to the jury’s indictment, the players submitted fake medical bills to get reimbursed by insurance. Despite not going for treatment or dental check-ups or even being abroad, the bills were still sent between 2017 and 2020.

Terrence Williams orchestrated the falsification process with other medical officials, and involved many NBA players in this fraud. The 3 players are Davis, Charles Watson Jr. and Antoine Wright coordinated with Williams to forge letters requesting treatment. Thanks to this fake content, they were able to get the medical bill easily.

The amount of money that 18 players cheated from insurance was up to 4 million dollars. Terrence Williams received $230,000 from the settlement, while the other players shared the rest. According to the federal court, the forged documents were not so sophisticated that they could not be detected. The subject line, letter layout, and invoice all contained errors. Some spelling errors were even discovered by investigators.

In addition to having to repay the illegal money, NBA veterans also face the possibility of jail time. Insurance fraud is a criminal act that the defendants are aware of. That’s why the penalty can be up to 10 years in prison. Currently, the federal jury has not yet sentenced the 18 NBA veterans, and a verdict will be issued in the near future.