Former NBA player Malik Beasley has agreed to plead guilty in his federal sports betting case, according to his attorney, Steve Haney, who said Tuesday that a deal had been reached.
Beasley, who played nine seasons in the NBA, is scheduled to change his plea at a Dec. 9 hearing in New York. He initially pleaded not guilty to four federal charges: conspiracy to commit wire fraud, bribery in sporting contests, honest services wire fraud conspiracy and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Haney had said over the weekend that his client was in talks with prosecutors about a potential plea agreement. He declined to specify the terms of the deal. A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn also confirmed that an agreement had been reached but declined to comment on the specifics.
An NBA spokesperson said, “We are aware of the recent report regarding Malik Beasley and will be monitoring the proceeding.”
Details of the Case
Beasley, 29, is one of six defendants in the case. Prosecutors allege that he coordinated with sports bettors to manipulate his statistics in at least four NBA games during the 2023-24 season. In the indictment, prosecutors claimed that Beasley, then playing for the Milwaukee Bucks, joined the scheme after accumulating “multimillion-dollar gambling losses.”
Other Defendants
The attorney for another defendant, Ernesto Plascencia, confirmed Saturday morning that Plascencia will also enter a guilty plea. William Brown pleaded guilty earlier this month, and fellow sports bettor Robert Gorodetsky is slated to formally enter a guilty plea on Nov. 20.
Former NBA player Ed Davis and Paolo Zamorano, who was Davis’ agent, were also charged in the case. Both have pleaded not guilty.