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Former NBA player and Oklahoma State basketball standout Desmond Mason is facing multiple fraud charges in Oklahoma County after prosecutors allege he accepted payment for artwork that was never delivered.
Oklahoma County District Attorney Vicki Zemp Behenna announced Tuesday that her office filed three counts of Obtaining Property by False Pretense and one count of Pattern of Criminal Offenses against Mason, 48. The charges stem from an investigation by the Oklahoma City Police Department's Financial Crime Unit.
According to prosecutors, Mason communicated with four victims - one in Tulsa County and three in Oklahoma County - between March 2025 and April 2026. Investigators allege Mason repeatedly promised to deliver commissioned artwork that was either never completed or never received by the buyers.
Behenna says each victim paid more than $1,000 for the artwork, meeting Oklahoma's felony threshold.
Investigators said communication between Mason and each victim eventually stopped, despite multiple attempts by the customers to contact Mason about the status of their purchases.
Oklahoma City Police referred the three Oklahoma County cases to the district attorney's office, which filed charges Tuesday. The Tulsa County case was not included in the Oklahoma County filing.
Charges follow earlier Texas theft case
The Oklahoma County charges come months after Mason was arrested in Oklahoma City on a felony warrant from Texas related to a separate alleged theft case.
According to the Melissa Police Department in Collin County, Texas, a couple reported paying Mason nearly $9,823 in March 2025 to frame a piece of sports memorabilia. Investigators alleged Mason sent the couple a photo of the completed project but never delivered the memorabilia, which police said was valued at approximately $40,000, along with its authentication documents.
Mason was arrested in Oklahoma City in May on the Texas warrant.
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Former NBA player turned artist
A Texas native, Mason starred at Oklahoma State University before being selected in the first round of the 2000 NBA Draft by the Seattle SuperSonics.
During his nine-year NBA career, Mason also played for the Milwaukee Bucks, New Orleans Hornets, Sacramento Kings and the Oklahoma City Thunder. After retiring in 2009, he returned to Oklahoma City and opened an art studio in Midtown Oklahoma City, where he has worked as a professional artist.
