US federal prosecutors have charged 26 people in an alleged international scheme to rig bets on US college basketball and Chinese professional league games, authorities said on Thursday.
A 70-page indictment filed in Pennsylvania names more than a dozen former National Collegiate Athletic Association players, a former NBA player and two sports-betting influencers. The charges include bribery in sporting contests, wire fraud and conspiracy.
Prosecutors said the scheme began in 2022, when defendants allegedly bribed Chinese Basketball Association players to deliberately underperform in games to manipulate betting outcomes.
College basketball involvement
The alleged operation expanded into US college basketball during the 2023–2024 season. Prosecutors said players were paid to ensure their teams failed to meet expected winning margins, known as point spreads.
Authorities said the scheme involved 39 players across more than 17 Division I college teams, with millions of dollars wagered on fixed games and hundreds of thousands of dollars paid in bribes. Prosecutors added that the expansion of legalised sports betting in the US helped suspects avoid detection by spreading wagers across multiple platforms.
Links to wider sports betting cases
Two defendants, sports-betting influencers Shane Hennen and Marves Fairley, were previously charged in a separate NBA betting investigation involving Miami Heat player Terry Rozier and former Cleveland Cavaliers guard Damon Jones. All pleaded not guilty.
Federal prosecutors have also brought related cases accusing professional athletes of manipulating performances for betting purposes. All defendants in those cases have denied wrongdoing.
US Attorney David Metcalf said the charges represent “another blow to public confidence in the integrity of sport”.
