Federal prosecutors have charged 26 men in a sweeping alleged point-shaving operation that authorities say compromised at least 29 college basketball games and involved players from 17 Division I programs, according to a federal indictment unsealed Thursday in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Investigators allege more than 39 current and former college players participated in or attempted to influence games during the 2023-24, 2024-25 and current seasons. Schools named include Tulane, Buffalo, DePaul, Eastern Michigan, New Orleans, Kennesaw State, La Salle, Nicholls State, Saint Louis, Southern Miss, Abilene Christian, Alabama State, Coppin State, Fordham, North Carolina A&T, Northwestern State and Robert Morris. Additional programs were identified as being affected, including Butler, Georgetown, Kent State, Ohio and others.
At the center of the case are non-athletes Shane Hennen and Marves Fairley, who prosecutors say orchestrated the scheme alongside several co-conspirators. Both men were previously charged in a separate federal gambling case tied to the NBA. The group faces charges including bribery in sporting contests, wire fraud, conspiracy and aiding and abetting.
According to the indictment, the operation began overseas in 2022 by manipulating Chinese Basketball Association games. Former NBA player Antonio Blakeney, then with the Jiangsu Dragons, allegedly accepted bribes to underperform and helped recruit teammates. Prosecutors say the group later expanded the scheme to NCAA games, focusing largely on mid- and low-major programs and targeting first-half or full-game point spreads.
Federal authorities allege players were offered between $10,000 and $30,000 per game, often paid in cash, and that multiple players on the same team were sometimes recruited to ensure bets succeeded. Wagers were placed across numerous sportsbooks to avoid detection, though betting activity totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars on individual games quickly raised red flags.
Four active players are named in the indictment: Kennesaw State’s Simeon Cottle, Eastern Michigan’s Carlos Hart, Delaware State’s Camian Shell and Nicholls State’s Oumar Koureissi. Former New Orleans players Cedquavious Hunter and Dyquavion Short, who were previously sanctioned by the NCAA, are also among those charged.
U.S. Attorney David Metcalf described the case as an unprecedented breach of competitive integrity, stating, “This was a massive scheme that enveloped the world of college basketball,” and added that it represented “a significant and rampant corruption of college athletics.”
The NCAA said the allegations largely align with its own findings. President Charlie Baker emphasized the organization’s ongoing efforts, saying, “Protecting competition integrity is of the utmost importance for the NCAA,” and noted that many of the teams and players cited had already been under investigation. Baker said the NCAA has examined approximately 40 student-athletes from 20 schools over the past year, permanently banning 11 players and continuing to cooperate with law enforcement.
Prosecutors allege the defendants deliberately targeted players with limited NIL earning potential and teams more likely to miss betting lines, calling the scheme one of the largest gambling conspiracies ever uncovered in college sports if proven in court.
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