Coppin State player allegedly involved in major point-shaving scheme
A Coppin State basketball player is listed among 26 people involved in an alleged point-shaving and bribery scheme aimed at rigging NCAA and Chinese Basketball Association games.
In March 2024, an unnamed Coppin State player was alleged bribed by two "fixers" to "underperform and influence" a game against South Carolina State, according to the indictment. The player was encouraged to recruit his teammates to assist in the scheme.
The game was played in Baltimore, with South Carolina State favored by 9 points. The indictment says the fixers placed a bet on South Carolina State to win by the spread.
The bet failed with South Carolina State only winning 61-58.
During halftime, one of the alleged fixers was concerned about the score and texted the player to perform poorly.
"You costing us money," the fixer told the player.
After the game, the player responded, "im sorry for th[a]t bro[,] I try to tell my [Coppin State] teammates to chill and all th[a]t bro[,] swear I tried everything in my power second half."
The report also showed that a $458,000 wager was made for North Carolina A&T to lose to Towson.
Investigation into basketball point-shaving
Those allegedly involved in the scheme include former and current NCAA players, and professional bettors, U.S. Attorney David Metcalf said in a press conference on Thursday.
More than 39 college basketball players on at least 17 Division I teams "fixed and attempted to fix" more than 29 games, the indictment states.
The alleged point-shaving scheme reached the college basketball level in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. A few of the players have competed in games this season.
The colleges with current or former players alleged to have participated in game-rigging scheme include Abilene Christian, Alabama State, Buffalo, Coppin State, DePaul, Eastern Michigan, Fordham, Kennesaw State, La Salle, New Orleans, Nicholls, North Carolina A&T, Northwestern State, Robert Morris, Saint Louis, Southern Miss and Tulane.
These programs were also named: Western Michigan, Butler, St. John's, East Carolina, McNeese State, Duquese, La Salle, Kent State, Ohio and Georgetown.
The FBI said the scheme started in September 2022 with bribes to fix professional basketball games in China. After that, a group allegedly recruited a group of small college players to fix the outcomes of basketball games.
The FBI said the players allegedly accepted deals of $10,000 to $30,000 to rig games for bettors.
The FBI said the "fixers" of the scheme include Jalen Smith, from Charlotte, North Carolina; Marves Fairley, 40, from Carson, Mississippi; Shane Hennen, 40, from Las Vegas, Nevada, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Antonio Blakeney, from Kissimmee, Florida; Roderick Winkler, from Little Rock, Arkansas; and Alberto Laureano, 24, from Bronx, New York.
"The stakes here are far higher than anything on a bet slip," Metcalf said. "The criminal charges we have filed allege the criminal corruption of collegiate athletics through an international conspiracy of NCAA players, alumni, and professional bettors," said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. "It's also yet another blow to public confidence in the integrity of sport, which rests on the fundamental principles of fairness, honesty, and respect for the rules of competition. When criminal acts threaten to corrupt such a central institution of American life, the Department of Justice won't hesitate to step in."
