Twenty-Six Charged In Federal Sports Bribery, Wire Fraud Case

Twenty-six men, many of them current or former NCAA basketball players, were charged with aiding and abetting bribery in a sports contest, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and wire fraud in an indictment unsealed on Thursday in The Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

The scheme allegedly involved more than 39 players on more than 17 teams over at least 29 NCAA men’s basketball games. Players were allegedly paid between $10,000 and 30,000 per impacted game, with wagers upward of $450,000 made by gamblers.

“Today’s arrests and charges would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of our agents, analysts, and professional staff whose expertise, persistence, and commitment to justice over the past two years were the driving force behind this investigation,” Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia said in a press conference announcing the indictments. “Let this be a clear warning to professional and collegiate athletes, and to anyone who seeks to manipulate them — there is nowhere to hide — the short-term gain will never be worth the long-term loss.”

Two of those charged were former NCAA men’s basketball players who were recently stripped of their eligibility after investigations found they either conspired to manipulate outcomes and/or shared insider information with gamblers. Two of those charged, Marves Fairley, and Shane Hennen, are co-defendants in the Eastern District of New York case that led to a conviction of former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter and charges against former NBA player Terry Rozier.

Four of the players indicted were on NCAA rosters and played this week:

• Carlos Hart: currently, Eastern Michigan; last played in a 77-59 win over Northern Illinois on Tuesday
• Simeon Cottle: currently, Kennesaw State; last played on Wednesday in an 89-86 win over FIU
• Camian Shell: currently, Delaware State; last played Jan. 10 in a 66-64 loss to Norfolk State
• Oumar Koureissi, currently, Texas Southern; played Jan. 10 in a 74-66 loss to Arkansas-Pine Bluff

The scheme, according to charging documents, centers around attempts to shave points in both NCAA and Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) games beginning in September 2022.

Marves Fairley and Shane Hennen are accused of successfully recruiting unindicted former Chicago Bulls player Antonio Blakeney, then one of the leading scorers in the CBA with the Jiangsu Dragons, to shave points and recruit fellow conspirators. Fairley and Hennen are described in the indictment as “high-stakes sports gamblers, social media influencers, and sports handicappers who sold betting advice to others.”

According to the indictment, “The fixers targeted for their scheme NCAA basketball players for whom the bribe payments would meaningfully supplement or exceed legitimate NIL opportunities. The fixers also generally targeted for their scheme players on teams that were underdogs in games and sought to have them fail to cover the spreads in those games.”

The indictment continues a horrible storyline of scandal for the NCAA and men’s basketball in general.

Summary of allegations against co-defendants

• Alleged Hennen text to a co-conspirator: “Nothing guaranteed in this world but death, taxes, and Chinese basketball.”
• One of the key wagers traced to the alleged conspiracy was made at BetRivers Sportsbook at Rivers Casino in Philadelphia: $168,300 on the Guangdong Southem Tigers to cover the spread against the Jiangsu Dragons on March 15, 2023.
• Amounts in excess of $200,000 were wagered on otherwise nondescript college basketball games, including a $458,000 wager placed on the Towson University game against North Carolina A&T on Feb. 29, 2024.
• Terry allegedly discussed the scheme openly on text messages, at one point saying: “We gotta stop talking so crazy on the text.”
• One defendant subsequently suggested they “clean up how we text” and use a “burner” device after unveiling the plot via messages.
• Smith allegedly texted photos of more than $100,000 while on an airplane to players he was recruiting. Laureano allegedly texted University of Buffalo players a photo showing “a large stack of cash in an open compartment” while driving to pay them.

• “Coppin State’s Person #13” apologized after failing to shave enough points in a contest against South Carolina State: “They so ass I couldn’t even keep they lead together … swear I tried everything in my power second half.”
• When Alabama State conspirators were leading at halftime against Southern Mississippi, Smith texted: “LET [the Southern Mississippi players] LAY IT UP.” A player responded that Southern Miss was “so bad” they were having trouble throwing the game.
• Fairley is alleged to have dropped nearly $200,000 in cash into Blakeney’s storage unit in Florida.
• One payment was arranged at a casino in Biloxi, Mississippi.
• Charging documents allege that participants’ teams consistently underperformed in fixed halves, then dramatically outperformed in “clean” halves.
• In a 77-76 loss to Georgetown on Feb. 24, 2024, Terry scored all 16 of his points in the second half, allegedly winning a prop bet.

This story will be updated.