Eight former Celtics are among the 18 NBA players that were charged after an alleged health insurance fraud scheme in a New York Federal Court on Thursday.
More details about the fraud case emerged on Thursday afternoon during a press conference with U.S. Attorneys and the FBI in New York. Former Celtics Glen Davis and Tony Allen were named in one particular instance of the scheme that allegedly defrauded the NBA Players’ Health and Welfare Benefit Plan.
In one example during the press conference, Davis and Allen, along with former NBA guard Tony Wroten allegedly filed claims for root canals on the same six teeth on April 30, 2016 and again for crowns on the same six teeth less than two weeks later. Allen and Wroten also filed claims for root canals on the same 13 teeth again in September 2018.
“The defendants’ playbook involved fraud and deception,” Audrey Strauss, a U.S. attorney based out of New York, said Thursday in a news conference. “Thanks to the hard work of our law enforcement partners, their alleged scheme has been disrupted and they will have to answer for their flagrant violations of law.”
Another ex-Celtic Terrence Williams is accused of being the mastermind behind the scheme with alleged claims of $3.9 million according to NBC. Defendants got $2.5 million of that total according to prosecutors from 2017 to 2020.
Milt Palacio, Darius Miles, Sebastian Telfair, Will Bynum and Christopher Douglas-Roberts are the other former Celtics among the 18 former NBA players charged in the scheme. Palacio was hired as an assistant coach under Chauncey Billups with the Portland Trail Blazers back in August but he has been placed on leave by the team.
“We are aware of charges as they have become publicly available in the alleged health insurance fraud case,” the team said in a statement. “Milt Palacio, a Trail Blazers assistant coach and former NBA player, was among those indicted in the case. Palacio has been placed on administrative leave by the organization, pending further notice. The federal investigation of the Trail Blazers organization and we will have no further comment pending the outcome of the legal process.”
The others named as defendants on the indictment are: Alan Anderson, Desiree Allen, Shannon Brown, Melvin Ely, Jamario Moon, Ruben Patterson, Eddie Robinson, Gregory Smith, C.J. Watson, Antoine Wright and Tony Wroten.
The defendants face up to 20-plus years in prison if they are found guilty of the charges.