Federal Prosecutors Unveil Sweeping NCAA Point-Shaving Case Involving 20 Players

Federal authorities have charged 20 former Division I college basketball players in what prosecutors describe as the largest point-shaving scandal in college hoops in 75 years, alleging a far-reaching scheme in which players were bribed to manipulate games so gambling syndicates could profit.

Prosecutors in Pennsylvania announced the charges on Thursday, revealing a sprawling indictment unsealed by a Philadelphia grand jury. The case spans more than a dozen mid-major college basketball programs across the country and covers nearly 30 men’s games involving at least 17 NCAA Division I teams over the past three seasons.

According to prosecutors, the players were part of a coordinated effort in which ringleaders wagered millions of dollars on fixed games. The scheme allegedly involved paying athletes to deliberately underperform so their teams would fail to cover point spreads.

Two of the alleged organizers, Shane Hennen and Marves Fairley, were already facing charges in Brooklyn related to a separate, highly publicized match-fixing investigation tied to the NBA. A third defendant named in Thursday’s indictment is former Chicago Bulls guard Antonio Blakeney, who was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Prosecutors allege that Blakeney also helped rig multiple games in the Chinese Basketball Association.

“This was a vast ‘international criminal conspiracy’,” said David Metcalf, US Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, who warned that the conduct posed a “significant” threat to the “integrity of sports.” Metcalf emphasized that the organizers placed “millions of dollars of bets” on games they knew had been fixed.

The announcement was made at a press conference in Philadelphia, where Metcalf was joined by FBI Co-Deputy Director Andrew Bailey. Bailey said the arrests reflect the bureau’s “unwavering commitment” to protecting both the public and the “institutions they trust.”

“To those who choose corruption and betrayal: we will find you, we will investigate you, and we will hold you accountable,” Bailey said.

The press conference took place just miles from LaSalle University. Although prosecutors did not identify any LaSalle players as defendants, they flagged a February 2024 matchup between LaSalle and St Bonaventure as having raised suspicions.

That game was among 29 contests detailed in the 70-page indictment. The alleged scheme began with a February 2024 game between McNeese State and Nicholls State in Louisiana and extended through 11 January 2025, when the University of New Orleans lost 91-71 to Southeastern Louisiana.

Several of the games cited occurred in Louisiana. Prosecutors highlighted four University of New Orleans games, starting with a loss to Lamar during the 2024 Southland Conference tournament. Three former New Orleans players — Cedquavious Hunter, Dyquavion Short and Carlos Hart — were charged. The NCAA had already permanently declared Hunter and Short ineligible after its own investigation concluded that they had participated in match fixing.

The indictment also names former players from Tulane, Nicholls State, Southern Mississippi and Alabama State along the Gulf Coast. In the Northeast, former players from Buffalo, Robert Morris and Fordham were charged. Da’Sean Nelson, formerly of DePaul, is accused of fixing a game in 2024 after transferring to Eastern Michigan, while co-defendant Jalen Terry allegedly rigged games at both schools.

Hennen, a Las Vegas resident, is also facing charges in Brooklyn connected to illegal sports betting and rigged poker games. According to a private dossier cited by prosecutors, he lived in Philadelphia between 2021 and 2023.

The indictment also details extensive wagering tied to Chinese professional basketball. Beginning in September 2022, prosecutors say a group of conspirators recruited and bribed players to manipulate Chinese Basketball Association games. Fairley and Hennen allegedly offered bribes to Blakeney while he was playing in China to influence game outcomes.

Blakeney, a former LSU standout, spent parts of three seasons with the Chicago Bulls before joining the Jiangsu Dragons. He led the CBA in scoring during the 2022-23 season with 32.1 points per game. But on 6 March 2023, in a game against the Guangdong Southern Tigers, Blakeney scored just 11 points as Guangdong won 127-96, comfortably covering an 11.5-point spread.

According to the indictment, Fairley, Hennen and others acting under their direction placed large bets across multiple sportsbooks, including at least $198,300 wagered through BetRivers Sportsbook in Philadelphia. Prosecutors say Blakeney also recruited a Dragons teammate to participate in the fix.

Weeks later, Hennen allegedly texted a co-conspirator that nothing in life is guaranteed except “death, taxes and Chinese basketball,” according to court filings. In the same month, Fairley is accused of leaving nearly $200,000 in cash inside Blakeney’s Florida storage unit.

Prosecutors allege that Blakeney later used his basketball network to extend the scheme to NCAA games. He is accused of helping recruit Nicholls State players Oumar Koureissi and Diante Smith, as well as former Tulane forward Kevin Cross.

On 18 February 2024, East Carolina defeated Tulane 81-67 and covered the point spread. Prosecutors say another defendant, Roderick Winkler, delivered $30,000 to Cross shortly afterward as payment for his role. According to the indictment, players who ensured favorable outcomes for the gamblers were typically paid between $10,000 and $30,000 per game.

Among those charged is Kennesaw State guard Simeon Cottle, who began the current season as Conference USA Player of the Year and is averaging a team-high 20.2 points per game. Cottle faces charges including bribery in sporting contests and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

NCAA President Charlie Baker responded to the indictments with a statement on Thursday, saying that “protecting competition integrity is of the utmost importance” to the organization. The charges were announced just one day after Baker sent a letter to the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission urging a blanket ban on prediction market trading involving college sports.

Notably absent from the indictment was former Temple guard Hysier Miller, who was permanently ruled ineligible by the NCAA in November after investigators found that he placed 42 impermissible bets on Temple basketball totaling $473. While the NCAA said Miller placed three bets against Temple, Miller has stated that he does not recall doing so.

Last November, his attorney, Jason Bologna, said the NCAA found no evidence that Miller had shaved points. “The NCAA did not find evidence that his client had shaved points,” Bologna said at the time.

The most notorious prior NCAA point-shaving scandal dates back to 1951, when an investigation centered on several New York City schools, most prominently the City College of New York. In that case, 35 players from seven colleges admitted to taking bribes to fix games, and all were permanently banned from the NBA.

Metcalf declined to directly compare the two episodes but described the current case as “historic” in scope.

“The stakes here are far higher than anything on a bet slip,” Metcalf said. “It’s another blow to public confidence in the integrity of sport, which rests on the fundamental principles of fairness, honesty and respect for the rules of competition.”

By fLEXI tEAM