Another gambling scandal has rocked the sports world.
Federal prosecutors on Thursday unsealed indictments charging more than 20 men in an alleged scheme to manipulate college basketball games, according to court records filed in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
“This was a massive scheme that prosecutors allege touched multiple levels of basketball,” U.S. Attorney David Metcalf said at a news conference. “It represents a serious corruption of college athletics.”
Here are five key questions and answers about the case:
Who allegedly orchestrated the scheme?
Prosecutors allege the scheme involved Shane Hennen and Marves Fairley, neither of whom played college or professional basketball.
According to the indictment, they worked with others — including former LSU standout and former NBA player Antonio Blakeney — to recruit players willing to influence games for betting purposes.
Hennen, Fairley and Blakeney were previously charged in a separate NBA-related gambling investigation that became public in October 2025.
“The scheme, according to the 70-page indictment, began around September 2022 and initially focused on manipulating games in the Chinese Basketball Association,” wrote ESPN’s David Purdum.
Prosecutors allege the group later targeted college basketball, offering bribes ranging from $10,000 to $30,000 to players in exchange for compromising games.
How many players/teams were allegedly involved in the scheme?
Prosecutors allege that 39 players across 17 NCAA Division I programs participated in point-shaving schemes that affected at least 29 games and generated millions of dollars in illegal wagers. Of the 26 defendants named in the indictment, 20 played college basketball during the 2023–24 or 2024–25 seasons.
Others charged are alleged organizers, bettors or intermediaries. Two former players named in the indictment — Cedquavious Hunter and Dyquavian Short — were previously sanctioned by the NCAA in November 2025 for gambling-related violations tied to their time at New Orleans.
According to court filings and reporting by NBC, players from the following schools were implicated in the alleged scheme: Nicholls State, Tulane, Northwestern State, Saint Louis, La Salle, Fordham, Buffalo, DePaul, Robert Morris, Southern Miss, North Carolina A&T, Kennesaw State, Coppin State, New Orleans, Abilene Christian, Eastern Michigan and Alabama State.
Were any active players accused of rigging games?
Yes. Prosecutors charged four players who are currently on Division I rosters: Kennesaw State guard Simeon Cottle, Eastern Michigan guard Carlos Hart, Delaware State guard Camian Shell and Texas Southern forward Oumar Koureissi.
The alleged conduct involving those players does not include the 2025–26 season, according to prosecutors. The allegations against Hart, Shell and Koureissi relate to their previous schools. Hart formerly played at New Orleans, Shell previously competed for North Carolina A&T and Koureissi played at Nicholls State and Jacksonville. Cottle’s alleged conduct occurred during the 2023–24 season.
What has the NCAA done?
Following the unsealing of the indictment, NCAA president Charlie Baker said the organization has conducted betting-integrity investigations involving approximately 40 players from 20 schools over the past year.
“Protecting competition integrity is of the utmost importance for the NCAA,” Baker said in a statement, (h/t The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov). “We appreciate the work of law enforcement in detecting and combating integrity issues and match manipulation in college sports.”
The NCAA has also urged regulators and lawmakers to prohibit proposition bets on college athletes, arguing such wagers increase the risk of corruption.
What happens now?
The investigation into this scandal will likely take months to conclude. When it does, the NCAA and other sports organizations will need to take concrete steps to prevent players from associating with gamblers.
Gambling involvement among athletes has become a growing problem in recent years. If college and professional leagues fail to address it, the integrity of their sports will continue to be at risk.
“Victims in this case span every sector of American life,” Metcalf said. “The fans, the honest athletes, the teammates of these players who are working their tail off. … Everyone is victimized by that.”
Until leagues implement meaningful safeguards, more scandals could emerge, harming both players and fans alike.
