The biggest news that came of the Malik Beasley status conference Thursday had nothing to do with illegal sports betting, the charges, or what the future holds. Rather, attorney Jeffrey Lichtman, known for high-profile clients including ex-Gambino mob boss John A. Gotti and former Mexican drug lord and Sinaloa cartel leader “El Chapo,” made his first appearance on Beasley’s behalf, reported LA Mag.
The court Wednesday granted Beasley’s motion to have Lichtman as substitute counsel.
Beasley is one of six co-defendants charged by federal prosecutors in late June on multiple federal counts surrounding match fixing. Beasley is suspected of altering his performance and sharing that information so bettors could cash.
Edward Davis, a 2010 first-round pick by the Toronto Raptors, William Brown, Robert Gorodetsky, Ernesto Plascencia, and NBA player agent Paolo Zamorano are the other defendants. Brown is a former college basketball player and Gorodetsky is a wagering whale who previously pled out in a case in which he was accused of embezzling funds he used to bet.
The case is in the courtroom of Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, who is also the judge in the illegal sports betting case against former NBA star Terry Rozier. Hall set the next status conference for Oct. 14. Prosecutors told the court they expect to have the first round of discovery available next week and will file it under a protective order.
Attorneys parry over texts in Rozier case
ESPN reported last Friday that attorneys in the Rozier illegal gambling case have different interpretations of a text exchange involving co-defendant DeNiro Laster. The exchange:
Per the filing: “Dont tell chum bout the bet,” Laster wrote. “Chum” is one of Rozier’s nicknames.
The recipient answered, “Hell no.”
Laster is a childhood friend of Rozier’s, whose attorney argued that the exchange shows that Rozier did not know about the bet. But federal prosecutors said they have “developed evidence from multiple sources that this text chain does not relate to sports gambling.”
Rozier’s trial is set to begin Feb. 8, 2027, and two key co-conspirators, former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones and Marves Fairley, known as the “fixer” in an NCAA illegal betting case, have already pleaded guilty.
