OT: Point-Shaving Scheme

[Pablo]

20 charged in college hoops point-shaving plot

Twenty men, including many former college basketball players, have been charged in a point-shaving scheme that involved more than 29 games being fixed, according to a federal indictment.

www.espn.com

"Twenty men have been charged in a point-shaving scheme involving more than 39 college basketball players on 17 NCAA Division I teams, leading to more than 29 games being fixed, according to a federal indictment unsealed Thursday in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Fifteen of the defendants played college basketball during the 2023-24 and/or 2024-25 seasons, according to the indictment. Two of the players named in the indictment, Cedquavious Hunter and Dyquavian Short, were sanctioned in November by the NCAA for fixing New Orleans games."

"The scheme, according to the 70-page indictment, began around September 2022 and initially was focused on fixing games in the Chinese Basketball Association. The group later targeted college basketball games, offering bribes to college players ranging from $10,000 to $30,000 to compromise games for betting purposes, according to the indictment."

"The scheme, according to the 70-page indictment, began around September 2022 and initially was focused on fixing games in the Chinese Basketball Association. The group later targeted college basketball games, offering bribes to college players ranging from $10,000 to $30,000 to compromise games for betting purposes, according to the indictment."

"Baker also called for states, regulators and gaming companies to 'eliminate threats to integrity -- such as collegiate prop bets -- to better protect athletes and leagues from integrity risks and predatory bettors.'"

Schools Named in Indictment​

Abilene Christian
Alabama State
Buffalo
Coppin State
DePaul
Eastern Michigan
Fordham
Kennesaw State
La Salle
New Orleans
Nicholls State
North Carolina A&T
Northwestern State
Robert Morris
Saint Louis
Southern Miss
Tulane

 

[MasonSAE4]

I know there’s been a lot of criticism pointed at the FBI recently, but you gotta tip your cap to anyone that can figure out if La Salle is shaving points on purpose

 

[Portlandian]

I wonder if that would ban Saint Louis from the post season this year.

 

[Pablo]

Jeff Neiburg

@Jeff_Neiburg

Also in the indictment: Fixers attempted to recruit La Salle players in February of 2024. It does not say which players were targeted, but the fixers lost a lot of money on the first-half line of a 2024 La Salle-St. Bonaventure game.




10:12 AM · Jan 15, 2026

 

[Pablo]

Sports Betting Indictment in Philadelphia | PDF | Wagering | Gambling

A new indictment just dropped in Philadelphia in the ongoing sports betting scandal.

www.scribd.com

 

[Pikapppatri8]

Quite disappointing but not unexpected. There should be a second look at making sports betting legal. That drove money into this space and incentivizes this type of corruption.

 

[Pablo]

​

Jeff Neiburg
@Jeff_Neiburg

Former La Salle forward Mac Etienne is among those indicted in today's big unsealing. Etienne is charged with agreeing to bribes to fix games while he was playing at DePaul during the 2023-24 season.

10:06 AM · Jan 15, 2026

 

[Sport31]

With all the nil $$ floating around one would think this type of stuff would be over , I guess some people are just greedy and stupid.

 

[Pablo]

Sports Betting Indictment in Philadelphia | PDF | Wagering | Gambling

A new indictment just dropped in Philadelphia in the ongoing sports betting scandal.

www.scribd.com

Bradley Ezewiro - Saint Louis University

 

[Pablo]

NCAA point-shaving scheme: Former RMU basketball player charged; Duquesne University games impacted

A former Robert Morris University men’s basketball player, Markeese Hastings, has been charged in an alleged betting scheme that rigged NCAA games.

www.wpxi.com

"Duquesne University​

According to the indictment, the Duquesne men’s basketball team played two games against teams with players who were accepting bribes.

The first game was against St. Louis University on Feb. 20, 2024. The indictment says the fixers placed wagers totaling at least $242,000 on Duquesne to cover the first-half spread.

One of the defendants allegedly purposefully underperformed in the first half, allowing Duquesne to outscore St. Louis 41-27.

St. Louis then performed much better in the second half, outscoring Duquesne 40-39, the indictment says. Duquesne won the game 80-67.

The second game was against Fordham University on Feb. 23, 2024. The indictment says the fixers placed wagers totaling at least $195,000 on Duquesne, most of which were on Duquesne to cover the full-game spread.

One of the named defendants and a teammate allegedly purposefully underperformed, scoring fewer points than their season averages.

Although Duquesne outscored Fordham in the first half, Fordham made a comeback to win 79-67, meaning the fixers who wagered on Duquesne to win the full game lost their bets, the indictment says."

 

[Pablo]

Ex-Fordham player named in massive college basketball point-shaving scandal

A former Fordham basketball player has been charged for participating in a point-shaving scheme.

nypost.com

The federal indictment, which was unsealed Thursday in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, alleged that ex-Fordham player Elijah Gray conspired with defendants Jalen Smith, Antonio Blakeney and Marves Fairley to fix a game against Duquesne University on Feb. 23, 2024.

The indictment alleges that Smith contacted Gray, whom he knew through mutual connections within the basketball community in North Carolina, on social media, and offered 'a bribe payment of approximately $10,000 or $15,000 to underperform in and influence an upcoming Fordham basketball game.'”

Former Fordham basketball player Elijah Gray in 2024.Getty Images

 

[Pablo]

Many college players among dozens charged in point-shaving plot

A college basketball point-shaving scheme involving more than 39 players on 17 teams resulted in dozens of games in the previous two seasons being fixed by a gambling ring that included a former NBA player, according to a federal indictment.

abc7chicago.com

"Prosecutors allege that athletes also tried to recruit other players to the scheme. According to the indictment, Bradley Ezewiro, a center at Saint Louis who allegedly threw a game against Duquesne, texted one of the accused fixers, Jalen Smith, a screenshot of DePaul forward Da'Sean Nelson's stats and said, 'Worst team in the big east,' and 'he ready to tap in.' Smith responded, 'Already got him.'

According to prosecutors, Nelson and three teammates --Jalen Terry, Micawber Etienne and an unnamed player -- allegedly agreed to underperform in three games in 2024, against Georgetown, Butler and St. John's. Fairley and other bettors wagered at least $27,000 on Georgetown to cover the first-half spread of the Feb. 24 game, according to the indictment. Georgetown ended the first half up 41-28. Terry scored zero points in the first half and 16 in the second.

Around halftime, Smith allegedly texted Etienne about paying the bribes and said, 'I love Jalen terry he perfected his job ... Sh- Nelson snapped too.'

The next day, Smith traveled to Chicago to pay $40,000 in cash to the four players, according to the indictment.

Hennen, Fairley and their betting associates also wagered more than $52,000 that DePaul would not cover the first-half spread against St. John's, according to the indictment. Terry did not score in the first half, and Nelson scored four points. Smith texted Etienne during the game to complain about another player, who was not involved in the scheme, playing well, according to the indictment. Etienne responded that he and the other allegedly compromised players would keep the ball away from that player, prosecutors say.

Nelson and Terry are charged in the indictment, while Etienne has been charged separately.

Metcalf described the scheme as 'very successful,' despite the fact that some attempts to fix games did not pan out. For instance, Fairley, Hennen and others wagered at least $195,000 that Fordham would not cover the spread against Duquesne on Feb. 23, 2024, according to the indictment. Fordham forward Elijah Gray and an unnamed teammate allegedly attempted to underperform, but the Rams still won the game. Afterward, Gray allegedly texted Smith, 'I tried,' adding that Duquesne did not play well. Smith allegedly responded, 'You did your job for sure.'

Gray, who transferred to Wisconsin before this season then was dismissed from the team in October, was charged in a separate filing."

 

[Verdad]

I love that LaSalle and Fordham are so terrible, they even fail at losing.

 

[JimP]

Ugly. I like to bet at sportsbooks in casinos, but it's crazy how much sports betting propaganda is out there these days. Basically blasted by it every time I watch or listen to any sporting event. I can't recall if I've seen any during a Mason game.

It's like the NIL era - too much.

 

[gmutom]

Ugly. I like to bet at sportsbooks in casinos, but it's crazy how much sports betting propaganda is out there these days. Basically blasted by it every time I watch or listen to any sporting event. I can't recall if I've seen any during a Mason game.

It's like the NIL era - too much.

If nothing else, the one upside of NIL is it makes fixing games less tempting for the players. I'm not suggesting there won't be any outliers, but why risk a legit six figure deal for $10,000 under the table?

 

[jkh1978]

Do these predate the crazy NIL deals? I hate how much money is in the game but with states looking, I doubt large enough sums are going to be used in future to buy players. It’s going to continue to happen, happened in the past, but that now we will know about it more often.

 

[Patriot Blue]

If nothing else, the one upside of NIL is it makes fixing games less tempting for the players. I'm not suggesting there won't be a outliers, but why risk a legit six figure deal for $10,000 under the table?

La Salle isn't paying anyone $100K

 

[Where's the party?]

I know I'm a broken record, but this was so predictable AND is probably only the beginning. I like to gamble too, but let's face it, gambling breeds corruption, and 18-20 year old males are not gonna be able to resist temptation.

We are on the path to hell ....