Charges of fraud and theft against longtime NBA player Marcus Morris were dismissed Wednesday after he paid off his debts to two Las Vegas casinos, according to Caroline Bleakley of television station KLAS.
To obtain a line of credit for gambling purposes, Morris wrote checks totaling $265K to the casinos in 2024. He was arrested last month at a South Florida airport because he didn’t have sufficient funds in his bank account to cover the checks.
Court documents state that Morris obtained $115K from MGM Grand Hotel and Casino through bad checks in May 2024 and failed to reimburse the casino after the checks bounced. The following month, he took $150K in a similar fashion from the Wynn Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. There were two felony counts in each case — drawing or passing a check for $1,200 or more with the intent to defraud and theft valued at $100K or more.
Morris described the experience of being arrested in several Instagram posts last week, relays Cody Nagel of CBS Sports. He admitted taking out markers with the two casinos, which he said he’s done for years, but emphasized that he didn’t attempt to avoid repaying his debt. He added that he was held in prison for 51 hours under constant lockdown with no food or water.
“I would pay [anything] to stay outta jail,” Morris wrote. “Money paid back and lesson learned. FRAUD, I can’t live with.”
Morris emphasized that he wasn’t trying to scam anyone, arguing that he simply took too long to repay the money he owed. Explaining how gambling markers work, he stated that no cash ever left the casinos.
“If you know gambling, you can’t take money out the casino if you got a marker!” Morris wrote. “You spend that money there … no money was exchanged or taken from any casino and into my pocket.”
Morris expressed disappointment with the casinos for handling the matter through the legal system rather than contacting him directly. He stated that he was in Las Vegas recently and has been frequenting the two casinos “at a high level” for several years.
Morris, 35, played for eight NBA teams from 2011 to 2024. He went unsigned last season after finishing 2023/24 with Cleveland.
Great Googly Moogly
The house always wins
Heard he just donated his couch…
It’s wild that in this day and age, checks are still a thing. Why is the US so behind?
Cam- ever been to a Vegas casino? Ever heard the term “senior”?
wait…what does a Mexican man have to do with it??
Literally he blames everything on everyone but himself. It’s laughable
Vegas had to subcontract Joker bro to collect