Federal prosecutors unsealed charges Thursday against 26 individuals in connection with an alleged scheme to fix college basketball and Chinese Basketball Association games.
The charges, filed in federal court in Philadelphia, include bribery in sporting contests, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and wire fraud. The defendants include 15 former NCAA Division I basketball players, five alleged fixers, and others connected to the scheme. U.S. Attorney David Metcalf said the alleged conspiracy began in September 2022 with the Chinese Basketball Association and expanded to NCAA Division I men's basketball during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons.
According to the indictment, the scheme involved more than 39 players across more than 17 Division I teams and targeted more than 29 games. The alleged fixers recruited players to underperform in exchange for bribes typically ranging from $10,000 to $30,000 per game. The defendants then placed wagers against the point spread of those games. Prosecutors stated the fixers wagered millions of dollars and paid hundreds of thousands to players.
The operation focused on players who prosecutors said would not have earned significant money through name, image, and likeness deals. Among those named is former NBA player Antonio Blakeney, who played for the Chicago Bulls from 2017 to 2019. Blakeney is accused of helping recruit NCAA players into the scheme but was charged in a separate filing. Two defendants, Shane Hennen and Marves Fairley, were also charged last year in a separate NBA-related gambling case in New York's Eastern District.
Four charged players—Simeon Cottle, Carlos Hart, Oumar Koureissi, and Camian Shell—appeared in games for their current teams within the past week. The allegations against them do not involve the current season. NCAA president Charlie Baker stated the organization opened betting integrity investigations into approximately 40 players from 20 schools over the past year, with 11 student-athletes from seven schools recently losing their NCAA eligibility permanently. The bribery charges carry a maximum sentence of five years. Wire fraud charges carry a maximum sentence of up to 20 years.
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