NEW YORK — A former Missouri men’s basketball player could be headed to prison soon.

Mizzou product (1998-2000) Keyon Dooling was sentenced to 30 months in prison for his role in a scheme to defraud the NBA Players’ Health and Welfare Benefit Plan.

Dooling is a part of at least 18 former players who have been charged with fraud in the $4 million health care scheme including two that played at Kansas community colleges; Tony Allen – Butler Community College (00-01) and Ruben Patterson – Independence Community College (94-96).

“These former players recruited others to take part in this widespread fraud scheme and went to great lengths to keep the scheme running smoothly, facilitating hundreds of thousands of dollars of fraudulent claims,” United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams said.

The Plan is a health care plan providing benefits to eligible active and former players of the NBA.  Dooling and Michigan State product Alan Anderson both played in the NBA and were eligible to receive reimbursements from the Plan for legitimate, qualifying medical expenses.

Both occupied managerial roles in the scheme.

The ex-players engaged in a widespread scheme to defraud the Plan by submitting false and fraudulent claims to get reimbursed for medical and dental expenses that were never actually incurred.

Terrence Williams (the alleged ringleader who plead guilty and is awaiting sentencing), Dooling, and Anderson recruited other former NBA players to defraud the plan, including by offering to provide them with false invoices to support their fraudulent claims.

According to the Southern District of New York, Dooling participated in the scheme from at least in or about 2017 through in or about 2019. Dooling traded on his reputation among current and former NBA players to refer other former NBA players to co-defendant Patrick Khaziran who ran a chiropractic office in California and Aamir Wahab who ran dental offices in Beverly Hills, California.

The 42-year-old also recruited and attempted to recruit additional Plan-participants and medical professionals into the fraud scheme. Dooling himself also submitted fraudulent invoices to the plan, relating to services purportedly performed by Khaziran and Wahab.

The Fort Lauderdale, Florida native received approximately $363,000 in fraudulent reimbursements, and he is responsible for facilitating the fraudulent claims filed by other defendants, who received approximately $194,295 in fraudulent proceeds from the plan.

Dooling was ordered to forfeit $449,250.50 and pay restitution of $547,495 in addition to his 30-month prison sentence.