Federal prosecutors in Pennsylvania have charged 26 individuals in an alleged conspiracy to rig bets on college and Chinese professional basketball games, involving former athletes and sports-betting influencers.
A 70-page indictment unsealed Tuesday identifies more than a dozen former NCAA basketball players, a former NBA player, and two sports-betting influencers previously charged in a separate NBA betting case. Charges include conspiracy, wire fraud, and bribery in sporting events.
“This criminal corruption of collegiate athletics through an international conspiracy of NCAA players, alumni, and professional bettors” undermines public confidence in sports, said U.S. Attorney David Metcalf of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Prosecutors in Philadelphia said the scheme began in 2022, targeting players in the Chinese Basketball Association. Defendants allegedly bribed players to underperform in specific games to influence betting outcomes. The conspiracy later expanded to U.S. college basketball during the 2023–24 season.
Authorities said 39 players from more than 17 NCAA Division I programs were involved, with millions of dollars wagered and hundreds of thousands paid in bribes. Prosecutors contend that widespread access to legalized sports betting allowed the conspirators to avoid detection by placing bets across multiple platforms.
Two of the defendants, Shane Hennen and Marves Fairley, had previously been charged in October in a separate case involving allegedly rigged NBA bets. That case also named Miami Heat player Terry Rozier and former Cleveland Cavaliers guard Damon Jones. All four pleaded not guilty.
Fairley’s attorney, Eric Siegle, declined to comment on the new charges. Hennen’s lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.
The previous NBA case, prosecuted in Brooklyn, also named Portland Trail Blazers coach and NBA Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups in a separate scheme involving alleged cheating at poker games using illicit technology. Billups and others pleaded not guilty.
Separately, Brooklyn prosecutors charged Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz with allegedly manipulating MLB game outcomes for betting purposes. Both pleaded not guilty.
