Malik Beasley, a former NBA player embroiled in a high-profile match-fixing scandal, has agreed to plead guilty and accept a deal with federal prosecutors in the case involving the player’s alleged manipulation of his own performance to ensure the outcome of wagers placed on games he participated in.
The news was confirmed by Beasley’s attorney, Steve Haney, who commented for ESPN on Tuesday that his client has agreed to take the deal, with a date for this now set for December 9, 2026, in New York.
Beasley’s change of heart comes after numerous other people involved and investigated in the same probe have agreed to take a plea deal instead of maintaining their not-guilty pleas.
Among those are Ernesto Plascenia, who confirmed on Saturday that he will be entering a guilty plea, and William Brown, another person involved in the probe, who already pleaded guilty earlier this month.
In the meantime, Robert Gorodetsky, a sports bettor, is expected to plead guilty on November 20, 2026.
Beasley himself faces four federal charges, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, bribery in sporting contests, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
The news that Beasley is negotiating a deal first appeared late last week, with the deal still being hammered out at the time, although the player, who played nine seasons in the NBA, was already willing to take the deal as early as Saturday.
The news about an agreement has similarly been confirmed by the US Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn, and the NBA spokesperson said that the association was aware of the developments surrounding Beasley, and was monitoring the case.
However, former NBA player Ed Davis and Paolo Zamorano, Davis’ agent, have pleaded not guilty, and they are not changing their position so far.
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