Former NBA player Kermit Washington is arrested in KC-based federal investigation

A former NBA player known for one of the league’s most violent on-court incidents was arrested Tuesday in connection with a federal investigation based in Kansas City.

Kermit Washington was arrested in Los Angeles by agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Internal Revenue Service.

Officials declined to discuss details of the investigation Tuesday but said Washington was arrested on a federal warrant related to an ongoing investigation. A news conference is scheduled for Wednesday at the U.S. attorney’s office in Kansas City to discuss the investigation.

During a 1977 game while playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, Washington delivered a devastating punch to the face of Houston Rockets player Rudy Tomjanovich.

Tomjanovich had broken facial bones and nearly died, according to doctors at the time.

Although federal officials on Tuesday said they could not comment on the case, a charity founded by Washington has been mentioned in two federal court cases in Kansas City, including one filed Monday involving Ron Mix, a lawyer and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

In court documents filed in the Mix case, prosecutors said a person identified as Individual F referred potential clients to Mix in exchange for donations to the Sixth Man Foundation, which does business as Project Contact Africa.

Mix donated about $155,000 to the charity in exchange for the client referrals. He listed the donations on his tax returns as charitable contributions.

Federal prosecutors said it was illegal for Mix to pay for the referrals. He pleaded guilty Monday to a charge of filing false tax returns.

The other federal court case filed in Kansas City that involved Project Contact Africa and Individual F was one of the largest software piracy cases ever prosecuted by U.S. authorities.

Six men, including a Kansas City resident, have pleaded guilty in that case, which involved the importation and sale of millions of dollars in counterfeit computer software and related items.

One of those men, Reza Davachi of Damascus, Md., managed Project Contact Africa’s online presence and used its website to sell pirated software, according to terms of his plea agreement.

Though customers were under the impression that all proceeds would go to the charity, Davachi said in his guilty plea that he and Individual F agreed that only a portion would go to the charity.

By utilizing Project Contact Africa’s charity status, he was able to save more than $900,000 in fees that would have been owed to eBay and PayPal.

In exchange for use of the website to sell items on behalf of himself and others prosecuted in the piracy case, Davachi paid a monthly fee to Individual F, according to the plea agreement.

This story was originally published May 24, 2016 at 2:30 PM with the headline "Former NBA player Kermit Washington is arrested in KC-based federal investigation."