Former Celtics guard sentenced to 10 years in prison for fraud
A federal judge sentenced former NBA player Terrence Williams to 10 years in prison on Thursday after he helped mastermind a $5 million healthcare fraud scheme. Williams also made at least $300,000 in kickbacks as part of the scheme.
Williams played one of his five NBA seasons with the Celtics during the 2012-13 campaign. He was originally a 10-day signing and then signed for the remainder of the year, averaging 4.6 points in a reserve role. The team waived him in the summer of 2013 and he spent the rest of his pro basketball career overseas. Williams also played for the Nets, Rockets and Kings before joining the Celtics after being drafted at No. 11 overall in the 2009 NBA Draft.
According to the Justice Department, Williams worked with doctors and dentists to defraud the NBA’s Health and Welfare Benefit Plan between 2017 and 2021. Williams will also need to pay back $2.5 million in restitution in addition to his prison time.
18 former NBA players have also been charged in the case including former Celtics Glen Davis, Tony Allen and Sebastian Telfair. 13 of those players have pleaded guilty to charges already.