Former NBA players Glen Davis and William Bynum were convicted Wednesday for their roles in defrauding the NBA Players’ Health and Benefit Welfare Plan, according to the U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York. Davis and Bynum were found guilty of conspiracy charges, making claims of dental and medical procedures that never occurred.
“While many of the more than 20 defendants convicted in this case were well-known NBA stars, their conduct was otherwise a typical fraudulent scheme designed to defraud the NBA’s health care plan and net the defendants over $5 million in illicit profits,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement.
The case was made public in October 2021, when 18 former NBA players, including Davis and Bynum, were accused of stealing $2.5 million through fraudulent medical and dental claims. Prosecutors said the players submitted $4 million in phony claims and received $2.5 million from the league’s Health and Welfare Benefits Plan for chiropractic and dental services that were never rendered.
In August 2023, Terrence Williams, the ringleader of the scheme, was sentenced to 10 years in prison. According to prosecutors, Williams recruited other former NBA players to participate by offering them false invoices for procedures to submit for reimbursement. Players would then pay Williams a kickback out of the sum received for the fraudulent medical claim.
Davis, 37, played eight seasons in the NBA. He won an NBA championship with the Boston Celtics in 2008. His last season was in 2014-15 with the LA Clippers.
Bynum, 40, last played in the NBA during the 2014-15 season with the Washington Wizards.
(Photo: Lisa Blumenfeld / Getty Images)
