NEW YORK (AP) -- Eighteen former NBA players have been arrested on charges alleging they defrauded the league's health and welfare benefit plan out of about $4 million, according to an indictment Thursday.
The former players included former Louisville standout Terrence Williams and one-time Louisville recruit Sebastian Telfair.
Federal prosecutors planned a news conference for noon ET Thursday to describe the case that was brought in Manhattan federal court. It wasn't immediately clear whether all those charged had been arrested.
According to the indictment, the former players engaged in a widespread scheme to defraud the plan by submitting false and fraudulent claims to get reimbursed for medical and dental expenses that were never actually incurred.
A report from NBC News said that the scheme was carried out from at least 2017 to 2020, when the plan received false claims totaling about $3.9 million. Of that, the defendants received about $2.5 million in fraudulent proceeds.
That report says Williams spearheaded the scheme, allegedly helping to recruit other NBA players, offering fake invoices and receiving at least $23,000 in kickbacks.
Williams is also alleged to have impersonated a person who processed claims in the plan, and is himself accused of filing a claim for chiropractic services he never had.
The 34-year-old Williams played for Louisville from 2005 to 2009, leading the team to the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament his senior season.
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