| In NBA Fraud Case Telfair
Pleads Guilty After Threat of Demand Now
Sentencing August 1
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Patreon Video
SDNY COURTHOUSE,
March 15 – Former NBA players
Sebastian Telfair, Terrance
Williams, Anthony Allen and 15
others former players were
named in an indictment
unsealed on October 7, 2021
for defrauding the NBA health
fund, in Telfair's case, for
$350,000.
Telfair
nevertheless got a publicly
funded lawyer. Inner City
Press was there, in U.S.
District Court for the
Southern District of New York
Magistrates Court and live
tweeted it here
and below(street video here)
On August 26,
2022 lead defendant Williams
pleaded guilty, to a plea
agreement that he will not
(and now cannot) appeal any
sentence 145 months or less.
Plea agreement on Inner City
Press' DocumentCloud here.
On January 30,
2023, co-defendant Milton
Palacios was up for
sentencing. Judge Valerie E.
Caproni noted that he had
made, according to the public
record, $4.9 million in his
NBA career but now owes tax
liens. She sentencing him to
time served with a $20,000
fine - and a financial
literacy class with a two page
letter to her.
On February 15,
Judge Caproni approved
Palacios for travel to Puerto
Rico to coach: "dated February
14, 2023 re: Travel for
Employment.... For the reasons
explained below, we write to
respectfully request that the
Court issue an order allowing
Mr. Palacio to relocate to
Puerto Rico so that he can
commence his upcoming
employment as an assistant
basketball coach for the
Guaynabo Mets in the Puerto
Rican professional basketball
league. ENDORSEMENT:
Application GRANTED. SO
ORDERED. (Signed by Judge
Valerie E. Caproni on
2/15/2023)."
Meanwhile this:
"ORDER as to Sebastian
Telfair. IT IS HEREBY ORDERED
that a bail review hearing is
scheduled for Friday, February
17, 2023 at 11:30 A.M. The
hearing will be held in
Courtroom 443 of the Thurgood
Marshall United States
Courthouse, located at 40
Foley Square, New York, New
York 10007. (Bail Review
Hearing set for 2/17/2023 at
11:30 AM before Judge Valerie
E. Caproni.) (Signed by Judge
Valerie E. Caproni on
2/1/23)."
Inner City Press
went to the courtroom at that
time. Judge Caproni, just
finished with a sentencing in
the case, told Telfair, I do
not want to remand you but I
would. She told Telfair to be
sure to comply with his
conditions, including drug
treatment; she noted he was
already showing up for mental
health treatment. She asked
Telfair, What will happen if
you do not comply? "You're
going to put me in jail,"
Telfair replied. Judge Caproni
nodded and wished him well.
Later that day,
this: "Minute Entry for
proceedings held before Judge
Valerie E. Caproni:Status
Conference as to Sebastian
Telfair held on 2/17/2023.
Defendant Sebastian Telfair
present with attorney Deborah
Colson. AUSA's Ryan Finkel and
Daniel Nessim present.
Pretrial Officer Viosanny
Harrison present. Court
Reporter Sadie Herbert
present. Defendant ordered to
comply with meeting with his
Pretrial Officer. Defendant
bail conditions continued."
And on March 15
he pled guilty: "Minute Entry
for proceedings held before
Judge Valerie E.
Caproni:Change of Plea Hearing
as to Sebastian Telfair held
on 3/15/2023. Defendant
Sebastian Telfair present with
attorneys Deborah Colson and
Bernarda Villalona. AUSA
Daniel Nessim present. FBI
Agent Michael Coughlin
present. Defendant's plea of
NOT GUILTY withdrawn and a
plea of guilty entered as to
Count 1 of the of S7
Superseding Indictment. The
Court accepted the plea. Bail
conditions continued.
Sentencing set for August 1,
2023 at 11:00 a.m. Submissions
due July 18, 2023. PSR
ordered."
Watch this site.
Back on November
29, co-defendant Anthony Allen
filed a request to unseal
documents the US Attorney's
Office has labeled
"confidential," which Allen's
counsel describe as containing
"statements made by counsel
for the NBA Plan... explaining
that the money allegedly
stolen belonged to the players
themselves."
Judge Caproni has
ordered that "[t]he Government
must file its response to
Defendant's unsealing request
in a letter not to exceed two
single-spaced pages."
When the US
Attorney's Office filed, it
said it "does not oppose
unsealing portions of the
letters marked as Exhibits A
and B... filed under seal."
Jump cut to
January 13, 2023. Anderson had
missed a December court
appearance, and sent letters
to Judge Caproni asserting he
is no subject to her or US
authority. He was arrested on
a warrant, and arrested in
Westchester County Detention
Center via Grady, Oklahoma.
His lawyer argued at length
for him to be released, but
his letters were cited by
Judge Caproni to keep him in
detention. Will the sentencing
have to be pushed back? Watch
this site.
The case is
against 18 former NBA players
"for defrauding the NBA’s
Health and Welfare Benefit
Plan out of approximately
$4,000,000." It was been
assigned to SDNY District
Judge Valerie E. Caproni.
Telfair walking away from
photographers after court, photo by Matthew
Russell Lee 10/7/21
The line up:
Indictment charging TERRENCE
WILLIAMS, ALAN ANDERSON,
ANTHONY ALLEN, DESIREE ALLEN,
SHANNON BROWN, WILLIAM BYNUM,
RONALD GLEN DAVIS, CHRISTOPHER
DOUGLAS-ROBERTS, a/k/a
“Supreme Bey,” MELVIN ELY,
JAMARIO MOON, DARIUS MILES,
MILTON PALACIO, RUBEN
PATTERSON, EDDIE ROBINSON,
GREGORY SMITH, SEBASTIAN
TELFAIR, CHARLES WATSON JR.,
ANTOINE WRIGHT, and ANTHONY
WROTEN with conspiracy to
commit health care fraud and
wire fraud, in connection with
a scheme to defraud the
National Basketball
Associations (“NBA’s”) Health
and Welfare Benefit Plan out
of nearly $4,000,000.
TERRENCE WILLIAMS is also
charged with aggravated
identity theft in connection
with the same scheme.
The case is assigned to U.S.
District Judge Valerie E.
Caproni.
The
positions:
WILLIAMS and WROTEN will be
presented in the Western
District of Washington.
DAVIS will be presented in the
Central District of
California. SMITH will
be presented in the Eastern
District of California.
PATTERSON will presented in
the Northern District of
Ohio. MOON will be
presented in the Northern
District of Alabama.
BYNUM and ELY will be
presented in the Northern
District of Illinois.
MILES will be presented in the
Middle District of
Florida. ANDERSON,
WATSON, and WRIGHT will be
presented in the District of
Nevada. BROWN will be
presented in the Northern
District of Georgia.
DESIREE ALLEN will be
presented in the Western
District of Tennessee.
TELFAIR will be presented in
the Southern District of New
York before U.S. Magistrate
Judge Katharine H.
Parker.
The case is US v.
Williams, et al., 21-cr-603
(Caproni)
***
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