NEW YORK — Federal investigators no longer consider NBA free agent Malik Beasley a target in their gambling probe, Beasley’s attorneys told ESPN.
Attorneys Steve Haney and Mike Schachter said they’ve had what the report called “extensive” conversations and meetings with Eastern District of New York authorities.
“Months after this investigation commenced, Malik remains uncharged and is not the target of this investigation,” Haney told ESPN. “An allegation with no charge, indictment or conviction should never have the catastrophic consequence this has caused Malik. This has literally been the opposite of the presumption of innocence.”
Lawyers for Beasley didn’t immediately respond to emails and phone calls from The Associated Press seeking comment, and the U.S. Attorney’s office in Brooklyn declined to comment.
The AP reported in late June that Beasley was under investigation, coming 14 months after the NBA banned Toronto’s Jontay Porter after he was linked to a prop-bet investigation. Porter eventually pleaded guilty to committing wire fraud.
Beasley’s ties to the investigation were particularly ill-timed, considering he joined the Pistons last year on a one-year, $6 million deal in hopes of cashing in this summer as a free agent. He went on to become just the fifth player in NBA history to make at least 300 3-pointers (a franchise-record 319) in a season while averaging 16.3 points for a playoff team.
