Overview
- An indictment unsealed in Philadelphia charges 20 defendants, including 15 who played Division I men’s basketball in the 2023–24 and 2024–25 seasons, in a scheme prosecutors say touched more than 39 players across over 17 teams and at least 29 games.
- Court filings say the operation began in the Chinese Basketball Association in 2022, citing a March 6, 2023 Jiangsu–Guangdong game involving Antonio Blakeney and a $198,300 BetRivers wager, with Blakeney later described as receiving about $200,000.
- Prosecutors allege college players were typically paid $10,000 to $30,000 per game to ensure teams failed to cover first‑half or full‑game spreads, with conspirators sometimes recruiting multiple players on the same team.
- The charges include bribery in sporting contests, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud and aiding and abetting, and all defendants are presumed innocent.
- Two alleged organizers, Shane Hennen and Marves Fairley, were previously charged in an NBA‑related gambling probe, while the NCAA says it has open or completed investigations into most teams named and is pressing for stronger protections, including limits on collegiate prop bets.