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Thursday, July 12, 2018

Former NBA player sentenced in Missouri to 6 years in federal prison for charity fraud scheme, filing false tax returns

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A former professional basketball player was sentenced to six years in federal prison Monday on charges related to an extensive charity fraud scheme.

This sentence resulted from an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the IRS’s Criminal Investigation division.

Kermit Alan Washington, 66, of Las Vegas, Nevada, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to six years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Washington to pay $967,158 in restitution. Washington was taken into federal custody at the conclusion of the sentencing hearing.

“This former NBA player abused his fame and status to promote a charity scam by which he raised hundreds of thousands of dollars that he diverted to personal spending on lavish vacations, shopping sprees, and even plastic surgery for his girlfriend,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy Garrison, Western District of Missouri. “Although he told his donors that 100 percent of all donations would go to support charitable work in Africa, including a medical clinic for needy families and HIV-positive children, in fact he spent most of the donated funds on himself. His fraud scheme also victimized law-abiding taxpayers by stealing from the public treasury rather than paying taxes owed.”

On Nov. 30, 2017, Washington pleaded guilty to two counts of filing a false tax return and one count of aggravated identity theft. Washington is among 11 defendants who have been convicted in several cases arising from the investigation of one of the largest software-piracy schemes ever prosecuted by the U.S. Department of Justice. Investigators seized more than $20 million in assets from conspirators estimated to have sold more than $100 million worth of illicit, unauthorized and counterfeit software products to thousands of online customers.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

He is black isn't he!

Anonymous said...

From Wikipedia:

On May 25, 2016, Washington was indicted for allegedly embezzling roughly $500,000 meant for children in Africa.[119] On December 4, 2017, he pled guilty to three counts: one of aggravated identity theft, and two of making a false statement in a tax return. Washington did not take money donated to his charity for children in Africa. Rather, he used the charity to launder money he received as kickbacks. Washington, as a regional representative for the National Basketball Players Association, referred NBA players to San Diego attorney Ronald Mix, who then made donations to the charity, but were actually illegal referral payments. Washington then withdrew this money for personal spending. Washington failed to report this money as income on his tax return.[120] In July 2018, he was sentenced to six years in federal prison for charity fraud.[121]

Anonymous said...

Who does this dude think he is? Bill & Hillary Clinton? The "little guy" does not get away with these schemes.

Anonymous said...

He will need plastic surgery on his butt

after Roscoe sleeps with him in the cell