Former Boston Celtic shooting guard Tony Allen has pled not guilty and stated he will “prepare his defense” in the NBA scandal in which 18 former players were charged with defrauding the league’s health care plan through fake medical treatments.
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The legendary defender, former NBA All-Defensive Team member and league champion is among the most prominent defendants charged last week with the benefits fraud scheme. Court records show Allen was arrested, but was released after an appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn, to the tune of a $500,000 bond.
“Yesterday, Mr. Allen entered a not guilty plea to the charge against him contained in the indictment and was released on a personal recognizance bond,” attorney Scott Resnick said. “He is now focused on working with his counsel to prepare his defense.”
Court documents also show that Allen’s travel is restricted to 4 areas: the Western District of Tennessee, the Central District of California, and New York’s southern and eastern districts.
Prosecutors allege Allen and his wife Desiree, who has also been charged, “gained” $420,075 between 2017 and 2020 by submitting fraudulent medical invoices to the NBA Players Health and Welfare Benefit Plan for medical services from both a chiropractor and dental practice that Tony never received.
The indictment alleges another former Celtic, Terrence Williams, masterminded the plan and recruited other players for the $4 million scheme, going to such lengths as to provide them with false invoices in exchange for at least $230,000 in kickbacks, Allen is not accused of paying those kickbacks. Williams entered a not guilty plea when the indictment was unsealed last week.
The health board retroactively denied chiropractic and dental claims filed by Allen and three other co-defendants, but the indictment notes Allen is the only one to repay any of the cash. He had paid back $350,075 of $420,075 by the time prosecutors filed their sealed indictment on Oct. 4, according to the charging papers.
Other prominent players charged were Glen “Big Baby” Davis — Allen’s teammate on the Boston Celtics’ 2008 NBA championship team — and Sebastian Telfair, one of the highest touted high school players of all time who was drafted 13th overall in 2004 by the Portland Trail Blazers.
Also indicted were Alan Anderson, Shannon Brown, Will Bynum, Christopher Douglas-Roberts — also known as “Supreme Bey” — Melvin Ely, Jamario Moon, Darius Miles, Milton Palacio, Ruben Patterson, Eddie Robinson, Gregory Smith, Charles Watson Jr., Antoine Wright and Tony Wroten.
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