U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni sentenced a doctor to five years in prison on Nov. 25 for his involvement in a scheme to defraud the National Basketball Association (NBA) Players’ Health and Welfare Benefit Plan.
The NBA health plan provides health and welfare benefits to current and former NBA players, their spouses, and their dependents.
William Washington, 47, a licensed medical doctor who operated medical clinics in the Seattle, Washington, area, participated in a scheme with retired NBA players to defraud the NBA health plan from about 2019 until July 2020.
As part of the fraudulent scheme, he swiped debit cards issued as part of the health plan to collect money on fake invoices, which he cashed out and distributed to his co-conspirators.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said Washington pocketed nearly a half-million dollars for himself and his co-conspirators after only a year of operating the scam.
Williams said the conviction in this case sends a “clear message that those who engage in health care fraud schemes, particularly medical providers,” will face harsh penalties.
“William Washington, a licensed medical doctor, had a solemn responsibility not to abuse his position of trust,” he said. “Instead, Washington used his license and his clinics to generate fraudulent invoices for medical services he never performed.”
On Monday, Washington was also sentenced to three years of supervised release, ordered to pay a $20,000 fine, forfeit $475,042, and pay restitution of $475,042.
