Malik Beasley to enter guilty plea in federal betting scandal
The nine-year NBA veteran is scheduled to enter his guilty plea in Brooklyn federal court on December 9, according to reporting by Steve Haney of The Athletic, as detailed by elnuevodia.com.
From Milwaukee Bucks On-Court Play to Federal Indictment
The federal indictment unsealed this past summer detailed an extensive betting scandal involving more than three dozen arrests, placing Beasley among six individuals charged alongside sports agent Paolo Zamorano. Federal prosecutors accused Beasley of altering his performance in at least four games during his 2024 stint with the Milwaukee Bucks. The indictment stated that Beasley underperformed or overperformed relative to sportsbook expectations in exchange for bribes from bettors, which in turn reduced or eliminated his personal debts.
Those financial obligations included millions of dollars in gambling losses alongside disputes with a Detroit landlord, a Milwaukee barber, and a Minnesota dentist, capped by a 2025 default judgment of one million dollars from a sports marketing agency lawsuit. Text messages recovered in the federal charging documents reveal communications between Beasley and co-accused former NBA player Ed Davis, who allegedly acted as his financial guardian and lender. In a January 26, 2024 text message cited in the indictment, Davis wrote to Beasley that the only way to beat Las Vegas was through sports betting because the house holds the advantage everywhere else.
Stint with Cangrejeros de Santurce and Current Status
Following his time in the NBA, where he played the 2024-25 season on a one-year, six-million-dollar contract with the Detroit Pistons and averaged 16 points per game before a playoff series against the New York Knicks, Beasley moved to international competition. He reinforced the Cangrejeros de Santurce during the 2026 Baloncesto Superior Nacional tournament, averaging 18.4 points across 17 games. The team ultimately released him amid a poor start to their season, and he has remained off the court since.
Neither defense counsel nor prosecutors have publicly released the specific terms of the forthcoming plea agreement. While Zamorano has maintained a not-guilty plea, Beasley’s scheduled appearance on December 9 will establish the formal legal resolution before the federal court in Brooklyn.
Disclaimer: The insights provided in this article are for informational and entertainment purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or sports betting recommendations.
Former NBA player Malik Beasley will enter a guilty plea on Dec. 9 with the Department of Justice over his role in bribery and betting scheme on his NBA play, his attorney Steve Haney tells ESPN.
Malik Beasley, a nine-year NBA veteran, has agreed to plead guilty to federal charges stemming from a Department of Justice investigation into illegal sports gambling, his attorney told The Athletic. He will plead on Dec. 9 in Brooklyn.