A federal indictment unsealed today in Brooklyn charges six men with running a criminal betting ring that allegedly compromised the integrity of professional basketball games. Former NBA players Malik Beasley and Edward Davis, along with co-conspirators William Brown, Robert Gorodetsky, Ernesto Plascencia, and current NBA player agent Paolo Zamorano, face charges of wire fraud conspiracy, bribery in sporting contests, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, and money laundering conspiracy.
Law enforcement authorities arrested several of the defendants today across the country, with arraignments in the Eastern District of New York scheduled for a later date.
Federal prosecutors allege that Beasley, while playing for the Milwaukee Bucks, conspired with his former teammate Davis to manipulate his game statistics. Davis allegedly acted as a “gatekeeper” for the group.
According to court documents, Beasley agreed in advance of specific games to intentionally underperform or overperform relative to his projected betting statistics. In exchange for altering his play, Beasley allegedly received bribes from the co-conspirators, which typically came in the form of reducing or entirely paying off gambling debts he owed to Davis.
Joseph Nocella Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s New York Field Office, announced the indictment today.
“As alleged, the defendants turned professional basketball into a criminal betting operation, bribing then-NBA player Malik Beasley to fix his performance in multiple games in order to place fraudulent wagers, enrich themselves and cheat legitimate sportsbooks,” U.S. Attorney Nocella said. “Bribery and insider betting schemes like this one involving former NBA players and a current NBA player agent who exploited inside NBA information for profit erode the integrity of American sports and victimize the sports-watching public. Our Office will continue in its strong tradition of holding accountable anyone who seeks to corrupt sports through illegal means.”
The indictment outlines several specific games from early 2024 where the performance manipulation allegedly took place. Before a January 26, 2024, game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Beasley allegedly told Davis he planned to underperform in rebounding. Davis then shared this inside information with Gorodetsky, Plascencia, and Zamorano to allow them to place fraudulent bets, and Plascencia passed the tip to Brown.
A similar pattern occurred before a February 27, 2024, game against the Charlotte Hornets, where Beasley allegedly stated he would underperform in scoring points but overperform in rebounding. Then, ahead of a March 10, 2024, game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Beasley allegedly notified Davis that he would beat his projected rebounding stats. Prosecutors noted that many of the fraudulent wagers placed on these games were successful, ultimately totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars across multiple betting platforms.
“These defendants allegedly operated an illegal betting ring in an attempt to unlawfully earn hundreds of thousands of dollars,” FBI Assistant Director Barnacle said. “As alleged, Malik Beasley allowed himself to be bought and altered his gametime performance to line pockets of Ed Davis and his other co-conspirators. The FBI continues to dismantle fraudulent schemes that erode the integrity of any institution, including our nation’s professional sports leagues.”
U.S. Attorney Nocella credited FBI field offices in Charlotte, Los Angeles, Omaha, Chicago, and Las Vegas for assisting with the multi-state investigation.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kaitlin T. Farrell, Benjamin Weintraub, and David I. Berman of the Business and Securities Fraud Section, with assistance from paralegal Erika Ellis and former paralegal Liam McNett.
The legal system presumes all defendants innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law. If convicted, the defendants face severe statutory penalties, including a maximum of 20 years in prison for each wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy count, and up to five years in prison for the sports bribery charge.
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