Helena Frye
Former Basketball Wives star Brittish Williams was indicted and sentenced to four years in prison for multiple fraud schemes. Williams' ex-fiancé, former professional basketball player Lorenzo Gordon, was also indicted on similar charges of wire fraud and theft. Williams pleaded guilty to 15 felonies, including tax, bank, and insurance fraud, as well as pandemic-related scams, resulting in a financial loss to victims. The indictment and sentencing of Williams and her ex-fiancé have brought attention to their volatile relationship and previous appearances on reality television shows together.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Brittish Cierrah Williams |
| Number of Charges | 15 |
| Types of Fraud | Tax, bank, insurance, pandemic-related, and wire fraud |
| Amount Defrauded | $28,537, $23,850, $27,801, $90,000, $139,479.92, $564,069 |
| Sentence | 4 years in prison, 5 years of supervised release |
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What You'll Learn
Brittish Williams sentenced to four years in prison
Brittish Williams, a former reality TV star on VH1's "Basketball Wives" and "Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars", was sentenced to four years in prison for multiple fraud schemes. The charges included tax evasion, bank fraud, insurance fraud, and pandemic-related scams. Williams pleaded guilty to 15 felonies, which included five counts of Social Security number misuse, four counts of bank fraud, and three counts of false statements to the IRS. She was also accused of using fake names to open bank accounts and not paying taxes.
Williams, a 33-year-old St. Louis native and Clayton High graduate, was indicted by federal prosecutors in September 2021. Despite her indictment, prosecutors said that she continued to commit fraudulent acts, including applying for pandemic-related rent relief under false pretenses and submitting bogus medical bills to insurance companies. In total, her various frauds led to her taking in $150,000 per year from 2017 to 2020, according to Judge Henry Autrey, who described Williams as having a "fraudster mentality".
During the sentencing, Williams asked for leniency, saying that the idea of being separated from her daughter was "heartbreaking". However, Judge Autrey was largely unswayed and pointed out that Williams' fame impacted his decision. In addition to the four-year prison sentence, Williams will be on supervised release for five years after her release and was ordered to pay $564,069 in restitution. She was scheduled to start her prison term on January 3, 2024.
Williams' legal troubles began in 2021 when she was indicted on multiple fraud charges. She was arrested in 2023 after failing to report to federal prison in West Virginia as ordered. In an interview with Youtuber Carlos King, she expressed that she felt treated unfairly because of her celebrity status and spoke about a gambling addiction that contributed to her financial troubles.
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Williams indicted on tax, bank, and insurance fraud
Brittish Williams, a reality TV star on the show 'Basketball Wives', has been sentenced to four years in prison following an ongoing felony fraud case. Williams pleaded guilty to 15 federal felonies, including tax fraud, bank fraud, insurance fraud, and three pandemic fraud schemes.
Williams, who also goes by the name "Cierrah", was indicted on federal fraud and identity theft charges in St. Louis. The U.S. Attorney's Office Eastern District of Missouri charged her with five felony charges of misuse of a Social Security number, four charges of bank fraud, three charges of making false statements to the IRS, three charges of wire fraud, and three charges of aggravated identity theft.
According to prosecutors, since her 2021 indictment, Williams applied for assistance under the California COVID-19 Rent Relief program. She reportedly falsified information about being a California resident with a total household income of $50,000. She also claimed that due to the pandemic, she could not afford her rent due to a "reduction in hours of work". As a result, she received $27,801.
Williams also failed to file her taxes since 2012 and listed herself as "exempt" on her tax documents, resulting in no taxes being withheld from her $90,000 salary. In addition, she submitted fake medical bills to at least one insurance company, receiving $139,479.92. The total known losses from all the frauds and schemes were $446,082.
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Williams' ex-fiancé, Lorenzo Gordon, charged with wire fraud
Brittish Williams, a former star of the reality TV show "Basketball Wives", was sentenced to four years in prison for multiple fraud schemes. Williams was indicted on tax, bank, and insurance fraud, along with pandemic-related scams. She pleaded guilty to 15 felonies, including tax fraud, bank fraud, insurance fraud, and pandemic-related fraud.
Williams' ex-fiancé, Lorenzo Gordon, a former professional basketball player, has also been indicted on fraud charges. In January 2024, Gordon was charged with wire fraud and theft of government property. He is accused of lying about the details of three businesses: Lorenzo Gordon's Janitorial Services, Elite 50 Basketball Training, and Logo Fitness. Gordon allegedly created these companies to exploit relief funds and stole a total of $273,000.
According to the indictment, Gordon applied for a federal pandemic business relief loan in June 2020, claiming that his business, Logo Fitness, had made gross revenues of nearly $96,500 prior to the pandemic. However, Logo Fitness was established in 2020. Three days later, he submitted another application for a company called Elite 50 Basketball Training, which he said had made more than $234,600 in the past year, when in fact, this business had also been created in 2020.
Gordon is scheduled to appear in a St. Louis federal court to face these charges. His lawyers have requested an extension to review the evidence submitted by prosecutors and to answer any questions he may have about a potential plea deal.
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Gordon indicted for lying on COVID-19 business relief applications
Former professional basketball player Lorenzo Gordon has been indicted for lying on COVID-19 business relief applications. Gordon, 40, is the ex-fiancé of Brittish Williams, who appeared on the reality TV show "Basketball Wives".
Williams was sentenced to four years in prison for fraud-related felonies in 2023. She pleaded guilty to 15 federal charges, including tax fraud, bank fraud, insurance fraud, and pandemic-related fraud. She admitted to opening bank accounts and lines of credit with other people's Social Security numbers, sending out fake bills for health insurance payouts, and lying to the IRS.
Three months after Williams' sentencing, Gordon was indicted on three charges of wire fraud and one count of theft of government property. He allegedly provided false information on COVID-19 business relief applications about the duration of operating two businesses, their earnings, and his sole ownership of a janitorial company. Gordon claimed his business, Logo Fitness, had made gross revenues of nearly $96,500 prior to the pandemic when, in fact, it had been established in 2020. He submitted another application three days later for a company called Elite 50 Basketball Training, which he said had made over $234,600 in the past year, despite being created in 2020. In total, he collected nearly $273,000.
Gordon, a former college basketball player for Illinois State, also played professionally in France, Germany, Turkey, and Israel. He once ran a commercial kitchen that provided food for a nonprofit that later faced scrutiny from state regulators and was forced to stop participating in federal food distribution programs. While his name appeared in that investigation, he was not accused of any wrongdoing.
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Williams' deceptive actions continued after federal agents indicted her
Brittish Williams, a reality TV star on the show 'Basketball Wives', was indicted on tax, bank, and insurance fraud charges, as well as pandemic-related scams. Williams pleaded guilty to 15 felonies, including five counts of Social Security number misuse, four counts of bank fraud, and three counts of false statements to the IRS. The deceptive actions of Williams, however, continued even after her indictment by federal agents.
Since her 2021 indictment, Williams applied for more assistance under the California COVID-19 Rent Relief program. She falsified information about being a California resident with a total household income of $50,000. Williams also claimed that due to the pandemic, she could not afford her rent due to a "reduction in hours of work". As a result, she received $27,801. Furthermore, since 2012, Williams has reportedly failed to file her taxes and has listed herself as "exempt" on her tax documents. This resulted in no taxes being withheld from her $90,000 salary. Additionally, Williams submitted fake medical bills to "at least one insurance company", leading to her receiving $139,479.92.
Williams' deceptive actions caused significant financial losses to victims. Her misuse of Social Security numbers and bank fraud schemes resulted in losses of $28,537 and an additional $23,850, respectively. These actions demonstrate a continued pattern of deception and fraud even after her indictment.
The consequences of Williams' actions extended beyond financial losses. Her failure to report to federal prison in West Virginia, as ordered, led to further legal repercussions. Additionally, her public platform and celebrity status added a layer of complexity to the situation. Williams' case and sentencing attracted attention, with an interview conducted by YouTuber Carlos King shedding light on her perspective. During the interview, she expressed feeling treated unfairly due to her celebrity status and mentioned a gambling addiction that contributed to her financial troubles.
The deceptive actions of Williams, as outlined above, continued well after her indictment by federal agents. Her actions resulted in significant financial losses, legal repercussions, and public scrutiny.
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Frequently asked questions
Brittish Williams, a former cast member of the reality show "Basketball Wives", was indicted and sentenced to four years in prison for her involvement in multiple fraud schemes.
Williams was indicted on tax, bank, and insurance fraud, along with pandemic-related scams. She pleaded guilty to 15 felonies, including misusing Social Security numbers, making false statements to the IRS, and wire fraud.
Yes, Lorenzo Gordon was indicted on charges of wire fraud and theft of government property. He allegedly applied for federal pandemic business relief loans under false pretenses.
Williams was first indicted in October 2021, and her legal battle continued until her sentencing in October 2023.
