Written by :
Published on :
OAKLAND PARK, Fla. (Gambling911.com) - Former NBA player Malik Beasley is reportedly negotiating a plea agreement in a federal betting and bribery case. His attorney says no agreement has been signed.
A spokesperson for the Eastern District of New York did not immediately reply to follow-up questions about the matter when approached by ESPN, who first broke the story.
They observed an overnight notice on the court docket indicated that Beasley intends to plea guilty.
In January, Beasley and Edward Davis, along with co-conspirators William Brown, Robert Gorodetsky, Ernesto Plascencia, and current NBA player agent Paolo Zamorano—were charged with wire fraud conspiracy, bribery in sporting contests, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, and money laundering conspiracy for their alleged roles in a scheme to bribe Beasley to manipulate his performance in NBA games and use inside information about Beasley’s intended performance to profit via illegal betting activity.
Joseph Nocella Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the arrests and indictment.
“As alleged, the defendants turned professional basketball into a criminal betting operation, bribing then-NBA player Malik Beasley to fix his performance in multiple games in order to place fraudulent wagers, enrich themselves and cheat legitimate sportsbooks,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “Bribery and insider betting schemes like this one involving former NBA players and a current NBA player agent who exploited inside NBA information for profit erode the integrity of American sports and victimize the sports-watching public. Our Office will continue in its strong tradition of holding accountable anyone who seeks to corrupt sports through illegal means.”
Mr. Nocella thanked the FBI Field Offices in Charlotte, North Carolina; Los Angeles, California; Omaha, Nebraska; Chicago, Illinois; and Las Vegas, Nevada, for their valuable assistance.
“These defendants allegedly operated an illegal betting ring in an attempt to unlawfully earn hundreds of thousands of dollars. As alleged, Malik Beasley allowed himself to be bought and altered his gametime performance to line pockets of Ed Davis and his other co-conspirators. The FBI continues to dismantle fraudulent schemes that erode the integrity of any institution, including our nation's professional sports leagues,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Barnacle.
As alleged, Beasley, then a player for the Milwaukee Bucks, agreed with his former NBA teammate Davis (known to the other co-defendants as Beasley’s “gatekeeper”) in advance of NBA games that Beasley would underperform, and at times overperform, relative to one or more of his betting statistics in those games. Davis, Brown, Gorodetsky, Plascencia, Zamorano and other co-conspirators subsequently used this non-public information relating to Beasley’s intended performance to place fraudulent wagers conditioned on Beasley’s performance in the games at issue, all with the intention of profiting off the scheme. As further alleged, in return for performance fixing, Beasley received bribes from the co-conspirators, typically by having Beasley’s gambling debts to Davis reduced or paid off.
The Justice Department provided some illustrations of what they say transpired.
January 26, 2024 Milwaukee Bucks vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
As alleged, prior to the Bucks game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on January 26, 2024, Beasley informed Davis that he intended to underperform with respect to rebounding in the game. Beasley provided this information to Davis to obtain a promised bribe payment and for the purpose of enabling Davis and other co-conspirators to place wagers based on this non-public information. Davis subsequently disseminated the non-public information regarding Beasley to multiple co-conspirators, including Gorodetskty, Plascencia and Zamorano, to enable them to place fraudulent wagers. Plascencia then provided this same non-public information to Brown to enable him to place fraudulent wagers. Many of the fraudulent wagers were successful.
February 27, 2024 Milwaukee Bucks vs. Charlotte Hornets Game
As alleged, prior to the Bucks game against the Charlotte Hornets on February 27, 2024, Beasley informed Davis that Beasley intended to underperform with respect to points and overperform with respect to rebounding in the game. Beasley provided this information to Davis to obtain a promised bribe payment and for the purpose of enabling Davis and other co-conspirators to place wagers based on this non-public information. Davis subsequently disseminated the non-public information regarding Beasley to multiple co-conspirators, including Gorodetskty, Plascencia and Zamorano, to enable them to place fraudulent wagers. Plascencia then provided this same non-public information to Brown to enable him to place fraudulent wagers. Many of the fraudulent wagers were successful.
March 10, 2024 Milwaukee Bucks vs. Los Angeles Clippers
As alleged, prior to the Bucks game against the Los Angeles Clippers on March 10, 2024, Beasley informed Davis that Beasley intended to overperform with respect to rebounding in the game. Beasley provided this information to Davis to obtain a promised bribe payment and for the purpose of enabling Davis and other co-conspirators to place wagers based on this non-public information. Davis subsequently disseminated the non-public information regarding Beasley to multiple co-conspirators, including Gorodetskty, Plascencia and Zamorano, to enable them to place fraudulent wagers. Plascencia then provided this same non-public information to Brown to enable him to place fraudulent wagers. Many of the fraudulent wagers were successful.
Politics
Lula Wins Re-Election in Brazil, Halting Latin America’s Rightward Shift
Leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva won Brazil's presidential election on Sunday, defeating right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro in a runoff to secure a fourth non-consecutive term. It's interesting to note that Jair Bolsonaro attracted considerably more betting support than polling numbers alone might have suggested. Now we will need to see what happens with the status of online gambling in the country. On September 25, 2026, Lula signed Provisional Measure 1.394, banning online sports betting and casino games nationwide. Licensed operators were required to shut down by October 6. On October 22, Lula publicly stated that online betting would not return to Brazil under his policy.
Casino Crime
Cape May New Jersey Middle School Teacher Removed Following Sex Romp Theft at Atlantic City Casino
A Cape May County middle school computer teacher has been fired as she faces second-degree theft and conspiracy to commit robbery following an October 9 encounter at the Atlantic City casino. Amanda Crafts, 35, and Veda Engel, 23, are accused of stealing $1,250 from a man they met at the hotel bar of Caesar’s Atlantic City and brought back to their Harrah's Atlantic City casino hotel room. Engel, who was previously charged with prostitution a few months earlier, allegedly told the man he would only receive oral sex for the $1,250. The John called cops to the room only after he prematurely ejaculated and Engel abruptly ended the session before his one hour session had expired. Crafts attorney says she was only there to party and was unaware of any prostitution taking place.
Poker News
Texas Poker Room Raid: $118,000 Seized, Four Arrested
Police raided 101 Poker Club in Katy, near Houston, and seized approximately $118,000. Four people were arrested on organized-criminal-activity allegations, according to police. PokerNews reports that the club reopened less than 24 hours later. The legality of its alleged business practices remains under scrutiny.
Politics
Texas 15 House Race Sees Pickup for Dems: Bobby Pulido Now Priced at -800
The Democrats weren't supposed to win Texas's 15th congressional district. It was substantially redrawn as part of the Republican-led 2025 redistricting effort ahead of the 2026 midterms. However, it was not one of the five Democratic-held districts Republicans specifically targeted to flip. Democrat Bobby Pulido, a popular Tejano musician, is now a -800 favorite to win here. That represents a three-point jump from October 5 when Pulido came in with -500 odds. Gambling911.com's coverage of this race has now gone viral.
Prediction Markets
New York Seeks Court Intervention Against Kalshi
The New York State Gaming Commission has reportedly asked a Manhattan court to compel Kalshi to comply with subpoenas connected to an investigation of potential gambling-law violations. The dispute highlights the growing legal conflict over whether sports prediction contracts fall under federal derivatives oversight or state gambling regulation.
- Chris Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher
