Ex-Türkiye League star Marcus Slaughter faces court in Spain over fake passport scandal

Former Real Madrid basketball player Marcus Slaughter has been formally summoned by a Spanish court (the 27th Investigative Court of Madrid) over allegations of using a fraudulent Equatorial Guinea passport during the 2014-2015 season. Slaughter, who also played in Türkiye, is the subject of a long-running Spanish investigation.

Interpol agents located Slaughter at his Texas home earlier this year, leading to the Madrid court initiating legal proceedings. The court has ordered Slaughter to appoint a legal representative within three days of receiving the official indictment.

The allegations stem from Slaughter's time at Real Madrid, where he played in Spain's ACB League under rules allowing certain non-EU players to be counted as locals. Spanish police claim Slaughter and another American player, Andy Panko (then with Fuenlabrada), used fake Equatorial Guinean passports that shared the same serial number.

Spanish prosecutors are seeking an 18-month prison sentence for Slaughter. FC Barcelona, participating as a civil party, is pushing for a five-year sentence. Barcelona argues that Real Madrid fielding an ineligible player (Slaughter) impacted competition results and has formally requested the annulment of Real Madrid's 2014-2015 Liga Endesa and Copa del Rey titles.

Slaughter, now 39, initially appeared in court during the investigation's early stages but later became unreachable, prompting an international arrest warrant. This warrant has now been lifted after Interpol successfully served the court notices.