Crime & Safety
Kermit Washington, Ex-NBA Player, Pleads Guilty In Fraud Case
Authorities say he diverted donations for a charity he founded and operated and used the money as a personal slush fund.
KANSAS CITY, MO — Kermit Washington, the former NBA player accused in a charity fraud scheme that diverted more than $150,000 in donations to his own slush fund, pleaded guilty in Kansas City federal court to making a false statement in a tax return and aggravated identity theft.
Washington played for the Los Angeles Lakers from 1973-78, the then-San Diego Clippers from 1978-79 and later for the Portland Trail Blazers until his retirement in 1982. He was scheduled to stand trial on Monday, but instead pleaded guilty on Thursday.
Washington was best known for throwing a punch that seriously injured Houston Rockets player Rudy Tomjanovich during a game in 1977.
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An indictment last year accused Washington of using Project Contact Africa — a charity he founded and operated — to defraud eBay, PayPal and the Internal Revenue Service.
"In order to induce individuals, including former professional athletes, to make donations to PCA, Washington falsely represented that 100 percent of the donations would go to Africa,'' the Justice Department previously said.
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Instead, he diverted the donations from PCA to buy gifts and cover personal expenses, including rent, vacations, jewelry and entertainment, the government said.
Washington, of Las Vegas, referred professional athletes to California attorney Ron Mix, a former San Diego Chargers star-turned-lawyer, who filed workers' compensation claims for them and then donated to Washington's charity, prosecutors said.
"In exchange for the referrals, Mix made payments to PCA and claimed those amounts as charitable deductions on his personal tax returns,'' the Justice Department previously said in a statement.
Mix, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, pleaded guilty last year in federal court in Missouri to a tax fraud charge related to the case. Mix played for the Chargers from 1960 to 1969 and then two years for the Oakland Raiders.
Washington used about $155,000 from the charity for personal expenses.
You can watch video of Washington's punch below, starting at 1:50.
Photo credit: Jack Smith/Associated Press