Sin categoría

18 ex-NBA players charged in $4 mn health fraud scheme

AFP

Eighteen former NBA players have been charged with allegedly defrauding the league’s health insurance scheme of almost $4 million, New York prosecutors said Thursday.

The prosecutors accuse Terrence Williams, who played for the New Jersey Nets and Houston Rockets, of orchestrating the fraud, in which they say he received kickbacks totaling $230,000.

Glen “Big Baby” Davis, who was part of the Boston Celtics side that won the 2008 NBA Championship, and Tony Allen — a six-time NBA All-Defensive Team member — were also charged in the scheme that allegedly ran from at least 2017 to last year.

According to the indictment, the accused defrauded the NBA player’s health and welfare benefit plan by submitting false reimbursement claims for medical and dental services that had not been carried out.

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

Prosecutors with the Southern District of New York (SDNY) say Williams recruited other players to the scheme by offering to give them fake invoices to support their fraudulent claims.

He “was the scheme’s linchpin,” lead prosecutor Audrey Strauss told reporters, adding that he tried to intimidate a player who didn’t pay him a kickback by impersonating an employee from the insurance plan.

The indictment alleges that the accused submitted false claims totaling $3.9 million and that the players received about $2.5 million in fraudulent payouts.

Strauss said that in some instances the co-conspirators had submitted false claims for the same root canal treatment on the same teeth on the same day.

The players were all charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud. Williams was also charged with aggravated identity theft.

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

Other players charged include former Los Angeles Lakers guard Shannon Brown, Sebastian Telfair, who played for several NBA teams including the Cleveland Cavaliers, and ex-Los Angeles Clippers pick Darius Miles.

Allen’s wife was also charged. Fifteen of the 19 accused were arrested Thursday around the country with Allen, Christopher Douglas-Roberts, Gregory Smith and Eddie Robinson still at large, the SDNY said.

Telfair was due to appear in court in New York later Thursday.

Sin categoría

Eight Killed in Series of Armed Attacks in Ecuador’s Manabí Province

At least eight people were killed in four separate armed attacks reported Sunday night in the cities of Manta and Montecristi, in Ecuador’s coastal province of Manabí, one of the areas hardest hit by the country’s escalating wave of criminal violence, local media reported on Monday.

The shootings occurred between 7:50 p.m. and 10:50 p.m. local time and affected several neighborhoods, as well as a family gathering, according to press reports. Police are investigating the incidents.

The first attack took place in the Los Artesanos sector of Montecristi, where a couple was shot dead in a public street.

Minutes later, in Manta’s 12 de Octubre neighborhood, a man was killed while sitting down. Police arrested a suspect at the scene and seized a 9mm magazine, authorities said.

A third incident occurred in the Bellavista area of Manta, when an armed assailant entered a home and shot a man during a family celebration. The attacker was captured by neighbors and sustained injuries.

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

The deadliest attack was reported at 10:50 p.m. in the Leonidas Proaño parish of Montecristi, where gunmen opened fire from two vehicles on a group of people, leaving four dead and five wounded.

According to Jaime Salgado, acting chief of the Manta Police District, officers recovered seven 7.62mm shell casings, consistent with rifle ammunition, and 14 .40-caliber casings at the scene.

With these killings, the Manta police district, a port and tourist area on Ecuador’s Pacific coast, has recorded 51 violent deaths so far in January 2026, according to official figures.

The attacks occurred amid a state of emergency declared by the government in December due to serious internal unrest in Manabí, where military operations have been intensified this month, particularly in high-conflict zones.

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

Sin categoría

El Salvador Launches Fourth Year of Ocean Mission to Protect Marine Ecosystems

El Salvador’s Ministry of Environment has launched the fourth consecutive year of “Ocean Mission,” a permanent strategy focused on the protection, restoration, and responsible management of marine ecosystems, linking conservation efforts from inland mountain ranges to the coastline.

During an event held at the Los Cóbanos Protected Natural Area, Environment Minister Fernando López highlighted the ecological, social, and economic value of the site, which is recognized as the country’s eighth wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.

“We are in one of the most valuable natural treasures of our country, not only because of its beauty, but also due to the enormous ecological, social, and economic importance that Los Cóbanos holds for El Salvador,” López said.

The minister emphasized that this volcanic-origin ecosystem is home to coral reefs and key coastal-marine systems that serve as refuge, breeding, and feeding grounds for emblematic species such as sea turtles, cetaceans, and a wide diversity of fish.

“Protecting Los Cóbanos means protecting biodiversity, community livelihoods, the local economy, and our natural heritage,” López stated.

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

He also stressed that Ocean Mission goes beyond rhetoric, focusing instead on direct action framed within the National Environmental Education Policy. “We are not here to talk about environmental education; we are here to practice it,” he said, underscoring the guiding principle of moving from paper to action.

Sin categoría

Convicted gang member challenges Guatemala’s anti-gang law, citing Human Rights Violations

A member of a criminal gang currently facing sentencing for the crime of extortion has filed a constitutional appeal before Guatemala’s Constitutional Court against the recently approved and enacted Anti-Gang Law.

The appeal, submitted by Dylan Smaily Archila García, argues that the new legislation violates his fundamental human rights and claims there were procedural irregularities during its approval process, according to local Guatemalan media.

Archila García filed the motion just hours after the law took effect. The new legislation, passed by Guatemala’s Congress, increases penalties for crimes linked to gang activity and authorizes the construction of a mega-prison, modeled after El Salvador’s Center for the Confinement of Terrorism (CECOT).

Local outlets reported that in his petition, Archila García contends that the approval of the law did not comply with constitutional requirements and requests that the Court issue a ruling to annul the legislation, effectively halting its enforcement.

The appeal further claims that the Anti-Gang Law infringes on due process rights, as it allegedly fails to guarantee a fair criminal trial in which defendants can prove their innocence, undermining legal certainty and judicial security.

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

Through this legal action, the petitioner seeks to have the law suspended and ultimately struck down by the Constitutional Court, preventing it from being debated again in Congress.