Feds Indict Another 20 Individuals Over Rigged Sports Betting, Including Some Familiar Names From October’s NBA Scandal

Prosecutors unsealed a 70-page indictment this morning, one that charges 20 alleged perpetrators in a three-year scheme to fix college and foreign professional basketball games. The scheme reportedly netted the defendants “millions of dollars.”

David Metcalf, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, discussed the FBI’s case in a press conference. He said there are additional charging documents, and reports indicate that 26 people are charged in total. He called the scheme “pervasive corruption” and said that it was “very successful.”

Reportedly, the scheme involved at least 39 college basketball players, though not all of these have been charged. According to ESPN, 15 of those played during the last two seasons, including four who have played for current teams in the past week.

“In a messy world, we often turn to the purity of sports to cheer for something,” Metcalf said. “When criminals rig the outcome of games for the purpose to lose rather than win, we all lose.”

Seventeen schools are named in the indictment, primarily ones with smaller college basketball programs. Professional player Antonio Blakeney, currently playing overseas in Israel, was also named as a conspirator from his time playing in China, where the scheme originated.

Marves Fairley and Shane Hennen are charged in the indictment with wire fraud and bribery in sporting contests. Both men were also charged the high-profile indictments from last October regarding fixed NBA prop bets and rigged poker games. Fairley was charged in the prop bets, and Hennen was charged in both cases. He allegedly helped both to procure cheating technology and to cheat in the actual poker games.

Hennen also has a prior history as an accused poker cheat.

Cheating Scheme Started in China, Shifted Stateside

According to the indictment, the cheating scheme began in China. There, Fairley and Hennen recruited Blakeney to begin point-shaving on their behalf in the 2022-23 season.

Blakeney, who once played for the Chicago Bulls, was one of the leading scorers in the Chinese Basketball Association. He averaged 32 points per game.

The schemers targeted games in which Blakeney’s team, Jiangsu Dragons, was an underdog. Blakeney would underperform in hopes of ensuring the Dragons failed to cover the spread. In an example given, Jiangsu lost by 31 as 11 1/2-point underdogs, with Blakeney scoring just 11 points.

Hennen and Fairley reportedly got down six figures worth of bets on multiple games. That’s an unusually large wager in those sorts of markets, which may have begun the process of triggering scrutiny.

“Nothing guaranteed in this world but death, taxes, and Chinese basketball,” Hennen gloated in a text message.

Point-Shaving Spreads to NCAA Games

The fixing scheme spread to include at least one of Blakeney’s teammates. Hennen and Fairley began organizing payouts of $10,000 to $30,000 for players who would participate.

They allegedly paid $200,000 to Blakeney for his efforts.

Then, the three conspirators agreed to take their scheme back home to the U.S., targeting NCAA basketball games in the 2023-24 season. Using the same strategy there, the scheme “mushroomed,” according to prosecutors. Again, they targeted first-half and full-game spreads with a focus on underdogs.

Not all of the fixes succeeded. For example, the indictment details a Tulane game against Florida Atlantic, in which a Tulane player was supposed to help ensure that Florida Atlantic covered as 15-point favorites. They only won by six.

“Unbelievable,” one of the co-conspirators said after a failed fix.

NCAA Issues Response

The indictment connects some dots with recent investigations announced regarding various NCAA teams.

Last October, reports emerged that Eastern Michigan University players were under investigation. Jalin Billingsley, Da’Sean Nelson, and Jalen Terry all refused to cooperate with an inquiry. Terry and Nelson are charged in the indictment.

Last November, the NCAA announced betting-related infractions for three New Orleans players. They included Cedquavious Hunter and Dyquavian Short. The FBI charged both of them in the point-shaving scheme.

Temple was also under investigation for 2023-24 games that were widely thought to be fixed. The indictment doesn’t name Temple, but it does say “one of those fixed games occurred in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.” Temple is located in Philadelphia.

NCAA President Charlie Baker released a statement following the indictment. He called on regulators to ban or limit college prop bets.

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, regulators and gaming companies to eliminate threats to integrity – such as collegiate prop bets – to better protect athletes and leagues from integrity risks and predatory bettors. We also will continue to cooperate fully with law enforcement. We urge all student-athletes to make well-informed choices to avoid jeopardizing the game and their eligibility.