Marves Fairley, described in court documents as “a fixer” in a wide-ranging NCAA sports betting case, has signed documents pleading guilty to bribery and wire fraud charges in the NCAA case and conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering in an NBA case.
The Eastern District of New York (EDNY) shared the news Monday, less than a week after indicating that an agreement for a change of plea had been reached. Fairley initially pleaded not guilty in both cases and he is one of two people indicted in both cases.
According to the court docket, a change-of-plea hearing is set for May 12 before EDNY Magistrate Judge Joseph A. Marutollo. Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall has been overseeing the cases in the EDNY, but referred the change of plea hearing to Marutollo.
The headline name in the NBA case is Terry Rozier, who has pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Rozier’s lawyers argued last week to get his case dismissed hours after federal prosecutors said they plan to bring additional charges against him.
While all of the defendants in both cases initially pled not guilty, the tide is starting to turn. Damon Jones, a former NBA player and coach, was named in the NBA case and an illegal poker scandal reportedly with organized crime ties. He pled guilty last week in both cases, as federal prosecutors said he “converted his fame and ties to professional basketball into a multi-faceted criminal betting operation.”
The current charges against Rozier each carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. The new charges could include bribery in sports and honest services wire fraud.
Fairley allegedly picked underdogs, paid cash
Fairley, from Mississippi, signed on April 26 a “Consent to Transfer of Case for Plea” in which he agreed that he will plead guilty in the NCAA case, which originated in Pennsylvania, and that the case should be moved to the New York.
Fairley was a tout who offered picks in NBA games on social media accounts along with Shane Hennen, who is also named in both cases. According to court documents, Fairley got insider information from NBA players, allegedly including Rozier. The information included injury reports, and Fairley and Hennen allegedly placed bets worth hundreds of thousands of dollars over several years.
In the NCAA point-shaving case, prosecutors allege in court documents that during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 NCAA seasons, Fairley and others recruited and paid NCAA players between $10,000-$30,000 per game to keep their teams from covering the point spread for the first half of a game or the entire game. Fairley and other bettors would then bet accordingly. The fixers mostly selected underdogs, and allegedly involved 39 players on 17 college teams, ultimately fixing 29 games.
Fairley was one of 26 people charged. Federal documents allege that Fairley “recruited and bribed” players in the NCAA and Chinese Basketball Association to “fix” games by point shaving. In the CBA, the government alleges, Fairley and Hennen bribed players to underperform so the teams would not cover the point spread. Bettors would then wager for the teams to lose.
In both cases, the players in questions were allegedly paid in cash.
Fairley is no stranger to the criminal justice system. A search of the federal court database revealed that he pled guilty to a federal weapons charge in 2020 and was sentenced to 12 months and one day in federal prison.
