Ed Davis, the retired NBA player, has been accused by federal prosecutors of acting as a facilitator for his former teammate Malik Beasley in a scheme aimed at manipulating prop bets. On Tuesday, Davis entered a not guilty plea to four charges in the Eastern District of New York.
The 37-year-old Davis, who last played in the NBA during the 2021-22 season, faces serious allegations including sports bribery, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, honest services fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He was released on a bond of $100,000.
Indicted on June 24, Davis is described by prosecutors as a crucial link between Beasley, his teammate from the Minnesota Timberwolves during the 2020-21 season, and insider information. The indictment suggests that Beasley incurred “multi-million dollar gambling losses” and owed debts to Davis, which he allegedly settled by accepting bribes to influence his performance in favor of gamblers. Four specific games are cited as being affected by this alleged scheme.
According to federal prosecutors, from December 2023 to April 2024, Davis coordinated a plan to manipulate Beasley’s performance in various statistical categories during games. Beasley, 29, who was indicted alongside Davis and four others, also pleaded not guilty to similar charges on July 1.
The six co-conspirators named in the indictment could face up to 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering, along with five years for sports bribery.
Beasley had a notable 2024-25 season, averaging 16.3 points per game with the Detroit Pistons and finishing as a runner-up for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award. However, investigations into his past gambling activities by both the EDNY and the NBA became public in June. While he was cleared of involvement in a related investigation concerning former player Jontay Porter, Beasley was ultimately indicted.
As for Beasley and his co-conspirators, he was released on a $100,000 bond and is required to appear at a federal court in Brooklyn on August 6.
Paolo Zamorano, a former NBA player agent, has also pleaded not guilty to the same charges and was released under similar conditions. Meanwhile, Damon Jones, a former NBA player and assistant coach, has been identified as a co-conspirator and has changed his plea to guilty in connection with other cases.
Other indicted co-conspirators, including William Brown, Robert Gorodetsky, and Ernesto Plascencia, have yet to be arraigned in the Beasley case. Shanne Hennen, another co-conspirator linked to a separate case, is expected to plead guilty to wire fraud conspiracy.