John White is the former personal assistant to NBA guard Gilbert Arenas who was convicted in 2015 of stealing roughly $2.19 million from Arenas through unauthorized online bank transfers between 2008 and 2011. A federal jury found him guilty on 15 counts, and in February 2016 a judge sentenced him to four years and nine months in federal prison.1U.S. Department of Justice. Windermere Man Sentenced for Stealing Money From Former NBA Basketball Player and Defrauding IRS
How White Stole From Arenas
White, a resident of Windermere, Florida, worked as Arenas’s personal assistant from 2006 through 2012. Over roughly three of those years, he used his position to initiate online transfers out of one of Arenas’s bank accounts and into three separate accounts he controlled himself. The transfers totaled approximately $2,188,170.1U.S. Department of Justice. Windermere Man Sentenced for Stealing Money From Former NBA Basketball Player and Defrauding IRS
He spent the money on personal expenses, including mortgage payments on his Windermere home, a Ferrari, and a Range Rover.1U.S. Department of Justice. Windermere Man Sentenced for Stealing Money From Former NBA Basketball Player and Defrauding IRS
The Tax Fraud
To hide the stolen income, White filed false joint tax returns with his wife for each year from 2008 through 2011. The returns reported no more than $60,000 in annual gross income and omitted the stolen funds entirely. The IRS calculated a tax loss of approximately $621,144.2Spectrum News 13. Windermere Man Sentenced for Stealing From Former NBA Player
How the Theft Came to Light
The scheme unraveled during a routine bank visit. When Arenas went to access his money, staff told him another person was listed on the account, which pushed him to take a closer look at his finances.3FOX 35 Orlando. Former Orlando Magic Player’s Assistant Sentenced IRS criminal investigators built the federal case with help from the U.S. Secret Service.4CBS Sports. Gilbert Arenas’ Assistant Convicted of Stealing More Than $2.1 Million
Charges, Conviction, and Sentence
A federal grand jury indicted White in April 2015. On September 2, 2015, a federal jury in the Middle District of Florida convicted the then-40-year-old on all 15 counts: 11 counts of wire fraud and four counts of filing a false tax document. Each wire fraud count carried a maximum of 20 years in prison, and each false document count carried up to three years.5ESPN. Personal Assistant Convicted of Stealing $2 Million From Gilbert Arenas6Sports Illustrated. Gilbert Arenas Personal Assistant Convicted
On February 12, 2016, U.S. District Judge Carlos E. Mendoza imposed a sentence of four years and nine months. The court deferred restitution and forfeiture to a later date.1U.S. Department of Justice. Windermere Man Sentenced for Stealing Money From Former NBA Basketball Player and Defrauding IRS
Arenas’s Lawsuit Against His Business Management Firm
In November 2015, between White’s conviction and sentencing, Arenas sued the firm that had been handling his finances. The 21-page complaint, filed in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, named Boulevard Management, Inc., its principal Lester Knispel, and employee Andrew Surkin.7The Hollywood Reporter. NBA Player Sues Business Management Firm
Arenas alleged that the firm enabled White’s theft by failing to monitor his accounts, failing to confirm multi-million-dollar transfers with him, and allowing unauthorized people to spend his money. According to the complaint, between January 2007 and February 2013 the firm transferred millions to a third-party account at White’s direction without Arenas’s knowledge or consent. He argued that reasonable oversight would have caught the embezzlement.8Forbes. Gilbert Arenas Demands at Least $40 Million From Financial Management Firm
The suit also alleged breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, unjust enrichment, negligence, and constructive fraud, and sought at least $40 million in damages plus punitive damages, fees, and interest.7The Hollywood Reporter. NBA Player Sues Business Management Firm The outcome of that civil case was not established in available reporting.
What Was Happening in Arenas’s Career at the Time
The theft began during the most lucrative stretch of Arenas’s career. A three-time NBA All-Star, he had signed a six-year, $111 million extension with the Washington Wizards in 2008, reportedly negotiating the deal himself without an agent. White began moving money out of his accounts the same year.9NPR. NBA’s Gilbert Arenas Suspended After Gun Incident
In December 2009, with the fraud still ongoing, Arenas brought unloaded handguns into the Wizards’ locker room following a dispute with teammate Javaris Crittenton. NBA Commissioner David Stern suspended him indefinitely in January 2010, and he pleaded guilty in D.C. Superior Court to one felony count of carrying a pistol without a license, drawing 30 days in a halfway house, two years of probation, 400 hours of community service, and a $5,000 fine.10ESPN. Gilbert Arenas Pleads Guilty to Gun Charge Arenas was later amnestied by the Orlando Magic and had not appeared in a regular-season NBA game since 2012, though he was still collecting deferred payments from the team at the time of White’s conviction.4CBS Sports. Gilbert Arenas’ Assistant Convicted of Stealing More Than $2.1 Million