By Gina Cherelus
(Reuters) - A former National Basketball Association player famed for delivering a devastating punch during a 1977 on-court fight has been arrested and charged with fraud in conspiracy with a National Football League Hall of Famer, U.S. prosecutors said on Wednesday.
A grand jury indictment alleges retired basketball player Kermit Washington, 64, defrauded donors, eBay, PayPal and the Internal Revenue Service for nearly three years by persuading people, including former professional athletes, to make donations to Project Contact Africa, a charity he had founded.
Ron Mix, a professional football Hall of Famer who played most of his career with the San Diego Chargers, pleaded guilty on Monday to one count of filing a false tax return in connection with the case, prosecutors said in a statement.