Former NBA point guard Sebastian Telfair has been ordered to report to prison on Aug. 12 for failing to meet the terms of his supervised release in a health fraud case. The case involved former NBA players who submitted false invoices to health care providers in a scheme to defraud the NBA’s Players Health and Welfare Benefit Plan.
U.S. District Judge Valerie E. Caproni ruled on Thursday that Telfair failed to abide by court-ordered community service and failed to report to the U.S. Probation Office. A suspended sentence means the defendant receives a prison term but can avoid serving the term behind bars if they abide by the terms of the release. Telfair will spend six months in prison as a result of failing to meet the terms of his conditional release.
Telfair, 40, played 10 seasons in the NBA, during which he earned $19 million in salary. The Portland Trailblazers selected Telfair with the No. 13 pick in the 2004 NBA Draft. The former Abraham Lincoln High School (Brooklyn, N.Y.) star was among the last group of players to go straight from high school to the NBA.
Although Telfair never became an NBA star like his cousin Stephon Marbury, he enjoyed several solid seasons, including for the Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves. Telfair also played for the Xinjiang Flying Tigers in the Chinese Basketball Association and landed lucrative endorsement deals, including with Adidas.
Prosecutors accused Telfair of partaking in a scheme where he netted about $358,000 through fraudulent claims. He reached a plea deal with prosecutors, who recommended he serve between 15 and 21 months behind bars. Caproni sentenced him to time served and three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay restitution.
In a hearing on Thursday, Telfair, according to Law360, told Caproni that “a lot of things” were “stacked against” him, and that he sometimes gets “stuck in the mud.” Telfair apologized and acknowledged he missed appointments with his probation officer. But he insisted he was trying to improve as a person, including by partaking in training so he could land a job in construction.
Caproni wasn’t persuaded, saying Telfair had done “absolutely nothing” to get a job. She bluntly told him, “You thumbed your nose at your probation officer and me over and over.” The judge, Law360 noted, also said Telfair had only submitted small dollar amounts in restitution and still owes a sizable figure.
Another former Celtics player has also served time behind bars for the health care fraud case. Last year Caproni sentenced Glen “Big Baby” Davis to 40 months of prison and three years of supervised release.