Federal prosecutors indict 26 people for allegedly fixing college basketball games in widespread conspiracy

Federal prosecutors successful Pennsylvania announced Thursday that astatine slightest 26 radical were indicted successful an alleged "transactional transgression scheme" to hole NCAA Division I men's hoops games and nonrecreational Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) games. 

Prosecutors accidental the participants bribed CBA players "to underperform and assistance guarantee their squad failed to screen the dispersed successful definite games and then, done assorted sports books, arranged for ample wagers to beryllium placed connected those games against that team," according to Thursday's indictment.

"[Defendants] aided and abetted the carrying into effect, the effort to transportation into effect, and the conspiracy to transportation into effect, a strategy successful commerce to power by bribery sporting contests, that is, Chinese Basketball Association ("CBA") men's hoops games and National Collegiate Athletic Association ("NCAA") men's hoops games, with the defendants engaging successful antithetic aspects of this scheme, with cognition that the intent of this strategy was to power successful immoderate mode those contests by bribery," the indictment said.

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General presumption of the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament Championship crippled betwixt the University of Kentucky Wildcats and the University of Florida Gators astatine the Georgia Dome connected March 14, 2004 successful Atlanta, Georgia.  (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Former NBA subordinate Antonio Blakeney is among those charged. Blakeney was a McDonald's All-American successful 2015 and attended LSU for 2 seasons. 

Blakeney, a prima subordinate connected the Jiangsu Dragons, was recruited and paid bribes to underperform and power the result of games, prosecutors said. Blakeney past recruited different players connected the team, corrupting the integrity of games, according to the indictment.

Prosecutors accidental from 2023 to 2025, the participants turned their attraction to the NCAA, recruiting players and paying bribes betwixt $10,000 and $30,000 per game. According to the indictment, much than 39 players connected 17 antithetic teams attempted to hole much than 29 NCAA Division 1 men’s hoops games, including league tourney contests. The organizers of the alleged strategy made wagers totaling millions of dollars. 

Those participating played for Tulane, Nicholls State University, St. Louis University, Fordham, DePaul among others, prosecutors said.

Charges see bribery successful sporting contests, conspiracy to perpetrate ligament fraud, and ligament fraud.

A NCAA Official Game Ball logo is seen connected a hoops earlier the NCAA Division II National Championship Basketball crippled betwixt the Minnesota State Mavericks and the Nova Southeastern Sharks connected March 30, 2024, astatine the Ford Center successful Evansville, Indiana. (Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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United States lawyer for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, David Metcalf, announced the indictment astatine a property league connected Thursday.

"When criminals pollute the purity of sports by manipulating competition, it doesn't conscionable imperil the integrity of sports betting markets and imperils the integrity of athletics itself and everything that sports correspond to us, you know, hard work, determination and fairness," Metcalf said. 

"We allege an extended planetary transgression conspiracy of NCAA players, alumni and nonrecreational bettors who fixed games crossed the state and poisoned the American tone of contention for monetary gain." 

A Wilson authoritative NCAA Evo NXT hoops with the March Madness logo approaches the rim and the net. The enactment takes spot astatine Intrust Bank Arena successful Wichita, Kansas, connected March 19, 2025. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)

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The announcement follows the national government’s crackdown connected illicit sports gambling and point-shaving schemes that engulfed the NBA successful October.

This is simply a breaking quality story. Check backmost for updates. 

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