"At least 20 people allegedly colluded with known gamblers to fix basketball games, according to a federal indictment filed Thursday. The indictment filed in Philadelphia cites charges of "bribery in sporting contests" and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, to fix men's college and Chinese professional basketball games. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania announced the sweeping indictment that involves players from 17 college teams from 2022 through 2025."
"The most prominent player indicted Thursday was Antonio Blakeney, the leading scorer at Louisiana State in 2016-2017 and a veteran of two seasons with the Chicago Bulls. The shooting guard has played for professional teams in China, Israel and Bahrain since last playing in the NBA in 2019. According to the indictment, the scheme began with attempts in the 2022-23 season to fix games in the Chinese Basketball Association. Blakeney, who played for the Jiangsu Dragons and led the league in scoring with 32.1 points a game, is alleged to have been recruited by Hennen and Fairley to shave points."
A federal indictment charges more than 20 people with bribery in sporting contests and conspiracy to commit wire fraud related to fixing men's college and Chinese professional basketball games. The alleged scheme spanned 2022 through 2025 and involved players from 17 college teams. Two gamblers, Shane Hennen and Marves Fairley, are accused of recruiting players through AAU coaches and personal trainers to shave points, often in first halves, to exploit prop bets. Antonio Blakeney, a former LSU standout and NBA player who led a Chinese league in scoring, is the most prominent individual indicted. The NCAA has stripped eligibility from 11 athletes at seven schools and is investigating nearly 40 more for sports-betting violations.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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