Former NBA champion, Glen “Big Daddy” Davis, has been sentenced to 40 months in prison by a federal court for his involvement in a scheme to defraud the league’s healthcare plan. The court’s decision comes as a result of Davis’s active role in the fraudulent activities.
Davis was also ordered by the judge to pay $80,000 in restitution.
In October 2021, Davis and 17 other former NBA players were charged with filing fraudulent health claims totaling nearly $4 million from 2017 to 2020.
Davis was convicted by a court in November for committing wire fraud, health care fraud, conspiring to commit health care fraud, and conspiring to make false statements in relation to health care matters.
Terrence Williams, a former player, was identified as the alleged mastermind of the conspiracy by the Southern District of New York U.S. Attorney’s Office. He received a 10-year sentence in August.
In addition to the penalties, Williams had to surrender $653,672 and compensate $2,500,000 in restitution.
U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss claimed in 2021 that Williams acquired fake medical and dental bills. He then shared these invoices with Davis and the other players, who proceeded to submit the claims to the NBA. As a result, the NBA ended up paying a significant portion of these fraudulent claims.
According to Strauss, each individual attempted to seek reimbursements ranging from $65,000 to $420,000 for treatments they never actually received.
Davis and Williams received the longest prison sentences compared to the other players involved in the scheme. Last month, former NBA guard Will Bynum was sentenced to just 18 months in prison for lying to a jury while under oath.
Glen Davis played a crucial role in securing the 2008 championship for the Boston Celtics, ultimately leading to his retirement from the NBA in 2014-15. Throughout his career, he maintained an average of eight points and 4.4 rebounds per game.
