Malik Beasley is reportedly going to plead guilty in his sports betting case, though his attorney said that a deal with prosecutors hasn’t been signed yet.
On Friday, U.S. District Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall referred Beasley’s change of plea to Magistrate Judge Taryn A. Merkl, according to a court update emailed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. The order did not include a hearing date.
Beasley’s attorney, Steve Haney, told ESPN that his client will be changing his plea to guilty, though negotiations were continuing and he expected a final decision early this week.
The former NBA guard pleaded not guilty in July after prosecutors accused him of manipulating his performances while on the Milwaukee Bucks in an effort to help bettors win big money on his player props. He was released on $100,000 bond.
Beasley was one of six people charged in June, along with former teammate Ed Davis, NBA player agent Paolo Zamorano, William Brown, Robert Gorodetsky, and Ernesto Plascencia. The charges included bribery, wire fraud, and money laundering.
According to prosecutors, Beasley would tell Davis when he intended to finish above or below certain props. Davis passed along the information to others, and Beasley was rewarded with reductions (or forgiveness) for gambling debts he owed to Davis, per the prosecution.
Specifics of the allegations
The allegations include a January 2024 game against Cleveland where Beasley allegedly planned to go under his rebound total and a February 2024 game against Charlotte in which he allegedly planned to go under on points but over on rebounds. Prosecutors say the group wagered hundreds of thousands of dollars based on Beasley’s intel.
However, the bets did not always win. According to the indictment, bets on Beasley’s rebound prop against Brooklyn on March 21, 2024, lost. He told Davis he would go under, but he ended up going over. Plascencia allegedly demanded that Davis repay the losses or make sure Beasley messed with future games so the group could recover its money.
Two other defendants also have plea changes in the works. DeArcy Hall referred Plascencia’s change of plea to Merkl on Friday. Gorodetsky’s hearing is scheduled for Nov. 20 at 2 p.m. in Brooklyn federal court.
The notices do not identify the charges to which any of the three would plead or the terms of any agreements.
