CRIME
Dentist Gets Prison For Role In NBA Health Plan Fraud Scheme Led By Terrence Williams
King5
A dentist has been sentenced to three years in prison for his role in a multimillion-dollar scheme with former NBA players to defraud the NBA’s Players Health and Welfare Benefit Plan.
Dentist Aamir Wahab, 44, of Los Angeles, was sentenced to 3 years in prison, and ordered to forfeit more than $458,000 and pay restitution of nearly $1.2 million, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced Wednesday. He previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care and wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Aamir Wahab exploited his dental practice to facilitate a million-dollar health care fraud scheme, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement. Wahabs goals were ambitious, telling a codefendant to get [him] the whole NBA, but the career prosecutors of this Office and our law enforcement partners were relentless in bringing Wahab and his codefendants to justice.”
While the overall scheme lasted longer, Wahab participated at least from 2018 to 2019 by documenting that former NBA players or their spouses received dental services that were not actually provided. He produced fraudulent invoices that were submitted to the NBA health plan for reimbursement, and falsely charged plan-issued debit cards intended for use on medical services at point of service.
In return for his participation, Wahab received a portion of the proceeds of the fraud.
Earlier this year, former NBA player Terrence Williams was sentenced to 10 years in prison and ordered to forfeit nearly $654,000 and to pay restitution of $2.5 million.
Former players Keyon Dooling and Alan Anderson,, described as a managers of the scheme, were sentenced to 30 months and 24 months in prison respectively. Dooling was ordered to forfeit more than $449,000 and pay restitution of more than $547,000, while was Anderson ordered to forfeit $121,000 and pay restitution of $121,000.
[Terrence] Williams led a wide-ranging scheme to steal millions of dollars from the NBA Players Health and Welfare Benefit Plan, U.S. Attorney Williams said. Williams recruited medical professionals and others to expand his criminal conspiracy and maximize his ill-gotten gains. Williams not only lined his pockets through fraud and deceit, but he also stole the identities of others and threatened a witness to further his criminal endeavors. For his brazen criminal acts, Williams now faces years in prison.”
TMX contributed to this article.
