Tony Allen sentenced to community service instead of jail time for NBA health insurance fraud [New York Daily News]

Ex-NBA player Tony Allen was sentenced Tuesday to community service and three years of probation for his role in a health insurance scheme.

Allen, 41, was one of 18 former players named in an October 2021 federal indictment that charged the ex-hoopers with defrauding the league’s health insurance plan. Allen’s wife, Desiree, was also named.

In April, Allen pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and wire fraud. He faced the potential for significant jail time in the case. Scheme leader Terrence Williams was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

“I fully acknowledge my individual responsibility and I understand the gravity of my actions,” Allen told a judge in Manhattan Federal Court during his sentencing hearing, according to Memphis NBC affiliate WMC. “As a member of the NBA community, I failed to uphold our core values.”

Allen admitted to billing the league for medical and dental procedures that never happened. He received around $420,000, which he said he paid back before the charges were announced.

In total, the league paid out $4 million in false insurance claims, according to the federal indictment. New York high school star Sebastian Telfair was also among the accused fraudsters.

While Williams and his lieutenants, Alan Anderson and Keyon Dooling, were sentenced to prison time, no other players have spent notable time behind bars.

Allen was one of the biggest names in the case. He played in the league for 14 years from 2005-2018, winning a championship with the Boston Celtics in 2008 and becoming a crucial part of the Memphis Grizzlies’ identity from 2010-2017. He finished his career with one season on the New Orleans Pelicans.

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