Twenty Men Indicted in College Basketball Point-Shaving Plot Spanning 17 Division I Schools
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Philadelphia — Federal prosecutors on Thursday unsealed an indictment accusing 20 men of orchestrating a point-shaving conspiracy that allegedly tainted 29 Division I men’s basketball games at 17 universities and involved 39 players.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania said the scheme, which dates to September 2022, paid players between $10,000 and $30,000 to influence game outcomes, enabling illicit wagers that defrauded sportsbooks and the betting public.
“This was a massive scheme that enveloped the world of college basketball,” U.S. Attorney David Metcalf told reporters. “This was a significant and rampant corruption of college athletics.”
Current and Former Players Implicated
Fifteen defendants competed during the 2023-24 and/or 2024-25 seasons, according to the indictment. Two of them—Cedquavious Hunter and Dyquavian Short—were already disciplined by the NCAA in November for fixing games involving the University of New Orleans.
Four additional players named in the filing have appeared in games within the past week; prosecutors noted that the allegations linked to those athletes do not involve the current season.
Charges and Potential Penalties
The defendants face counts of bribery, wire fraud and conspiracy. Bribery carries a maximum five-year sentence, while wire fraud could lead to up to 20 years in prison.
From China to U.S. College Courts
Investigators say the operation began with attempts to fix contests in the Chinese Basketball Association before shifting focus to NCAA games. Two of the men charged were previously indicted in a separate federal gambling case connected to the NBA. Former NBA guard Antonio Blakeney was mentioned in the new filing but was not charged.
NCAA Response
NCAA President Charlie Baker said the association has launched betting-integrity probes involving about 40 players from 20 schools over the past year, calling the misconduct “troubling but not entirely new.”
The indictment marks one of the largest federal cases to target gambling corruption in collegiate sports.
Source: Hoops Wire
