Former NBA player Malik Beasley has agreed to plead guilty in his federal sports betting case, his attorney, Steve Haney, said on Tuesday.
Beasley, who played nine seasons in the NBA, is scheduled to change his plea at a December 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 said over the weekend that his client was in talks with prosecutors about a potential plea agreement, and on Tuesday he confirmed that a deal had been reached. He declined to specify the terms of the agreement.
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.
“We are aware of the recent report regarding Malik Beasley and will be monitoring the proceeding,” an NBA spokesperson said.
The case against Beasley
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 claim that Beasley, who was 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 on Saturday morning that his client will also enter a guilty plea. William Brown pleaded guilty earlier this month, while fellow sports bettor Robert Gorodetsky is slated to formally enter a guilty plea on November 20.
Former NBA player Ed Davis and Paolo Zamorano, who was Davis’ agent, were also charged in the case. Both have pleaded not guilty.