Feds charge 26 in NCAA, CBA basketball point‑shaving probe
Federal prosecutors have charged 26 individuals in connection with an international bribery and point-shaving scheme allegedly designed to fix NCAA Division I men’s basketball games and Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) contests, US authorities announced.
At a news conference in Philadelphia, US Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania David Metcalf revealed the indictments alongside FBI Deputy Director Andrew Bailey and FBI Philadelphia Special Agent in Charge Wayne Jacobs, following a two-year investigation led by the FBI.
According to prosecutors, the scheme involved corrupting college and professional basketball through bribes, coordinated betting strategies, and the manipulation of game outcomes to profit from sports wagering markets.
Allegations of international sports corruption
“The stakes here are far higher than anything on a bet slip,” Metcalf said. “These charges allege the criminal corruption of collegiate athletics through an international conspiracy of NCAA players, alumni, and professional bettors. It strikes at the heart of public confidence in the integrity of sport.”
The indictment alleges that the conspiracy was led by a group of “fixers”, including Jalen Smith, Marves Fairley, Shane Hennen, Antonio Blakeney, Roderick Winkler, and Alberto Laureano, operating across multiple US states and overseas betting markets.
Prosecutors claim the scheme began around September 2022, initially targeting the Chinese Basketball Association, where players were allegedly bribed to underperform in order to influence betting spreads.
Point-shaving in the Chinese Basketball Association
According to court filings, fixers Fairley and Hennen recruited and bribed CBA players to engage in point shaving, ensuring their teams failed to cover the spread in selected games. Large wagers were then placed against those teams.
One of the central figures was Antonio Blakeney, a leading scorer for the Jiangsu Dragons during the 2022–2023 CBA season. Prosecutors allege Blakeney accepted bribes and recruited teammates to participate in the scheme. In April 2023, Fairley allegedly left nearly $200,000 in cash, representing bribe payments and betting proceeds, in Blakeney’s Florida storage unit.
Expansion into NCAA men’s basketball
After allegedly profiting from manipulated CBA games, prosecutors say the group shifted focus to NCAA men’s basketball, recruiting college players during the 2023–2024 and 2024–2025 seasons.
The indictment claims that more than 39 players across at least 17 NCAA Division I programmes were targeted, with over 29 games fixed or subject to attempted manipulation. Players were allegedly paid $10,000 to $30,000 per game to ensure their teams failed to cover first-half or full-game betting spreads.
Authorities say the conspirators deliberately targeted student-athletes whose compensation opportunities under Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) rules made bribe payments particularly tempting.
Millions wagered, hundreds of thousands paid in bribes
The fixers allegedly wagered millions of dollars on manipulated games, generating substantial profits. When bets succeeded, members of the conspiracy reportedly travelled to NCAA campuses to deliver cash bribes to participating players.
If convicted, defendants face serious penalties. A bribery charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, while wire fraud and conspiracy counts carry potential sentences of up to 20 years, alongside fines of up to $250,000 per count.
NCAA responds, calls for stricter regulations on gambling
In response to the growing concern over sports betting manipulation, NCAA President Charlie Baker called on state gambling commissions to amend state laws and regulations, specifically urging the elimination of individual prop bets and high-risk wagers, such as first-half unders, which are particularly vulnerable to manipulation.
“The Association has and will continue to aggressively pursue sports betting violations in college athletics using a layered integrity monitoring program that covers over 22,000 contests, but we still need the remaining states and regulators to eliminate threats to integrity to better protect athletes and leagues from integrity risks and predatory bettors,” Baker said in a statement on Thursday.
Baker also highlighted the NCAA’s commitment to student-athlete well-being and the integrity of competition, stressing that the NCAA has already initiated efforts to protect student-athletes by addressing harassment and betting behaviour manipulation. A letter was sent to state gambling commissions requesting stronger protections and more accountability for bettors who harass or influence student-athletes.
In addition to pushing for the removal of risky prop bets, the NCAA also called for stricter oversight and for betting laws to reflect a stronger framework for safeguarding the integrity of college sports.
Baker confirmed that the NCAA has opened investigations into approximately 40 student-athletes from 20 schools over the past year. Adding that 11 athletes have already lost eligibility permanently for betting on their own performances, sharing insider information, or engaging in game manipulation.
Growing context of betting-related scandals
The case follows a string of high-profile betting violations in college sports. In December 2025, the NCAA permanently banned former University of San Francisco guard Marcus Williams after investigators found he shared insider information and provided false statements during an inquiry.
The NCAA recently also reversed a proposal that would have allowed student-athletes to bet on professional sports, following strong opposition from conferences, including the SEC, which warned of escalating risks to competition integrity.
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