Players at Big East and A-10 Schools Implicated in Massive Point-Shaving Scheme, Says DOJ

Players at Big East and A-10 Schools Implicated in Massive Point-Shaving Scheme, Says DOJ

A 70-page indictment accuses bettors of wagering millions of dollars and funneling hundreds of thousands in bribes to 39 players on 17 teams to manipulate the outcome of parts or the entirety of games, asserts the U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday.

The indictment does not name any Rhode Island college basketball teams or players, but does name a team in the Big East and one in the Atlantic-10. Those schools are DePaul University in the Big East and St. Louis, La Salle, and Fordham Universities in the A-10.

The alleged leaders of the scheme are Jalen Smith, Marves Fairley, Shane Hennen, Roderick Winkler, and Alberto Laureano, according to the DOJ.

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It began in 2022 with wagers on Chinese professional basketball games involving Antonio Blakeney and eventually expanded to include U.S. college games involving teams such as DePaul, Saint Louis, and Tulane, according to the Justice Department.

“The point-shaving scheme corrupted the integrity of NCAA college sporting contests and the sportsbooks accepting wagers on those contests and caused sportsbooks and individual sports bettors to suffer financial losses,” the indictment states.

 

 

Players Charged with Taking Bribes

Some of the players named in the indictment are: Oumar Koureissi of Nicholls State; Kevin Cross of Tulane; Bradley Ezewiro of Saint Louis; Jalen Terry and Da’Sean Nelson of DePaul and Eastern Michigan; Markeese Hastings of Robert Morris; Arlando Arnold of Southern Mississippi; Camian Shell of North Carolina A&T; Simeon Cottle and Demond Robinson of Kennesaw State; Carlos Hart, Dyquavion Short, and Cedquavious Hunter of New Orleans; Airion Simmons of Abilene Christian; and Shawn Fulcher of Alabama State.

According to the government, an example of the alleged point shaving is the Feb. 28, 2024, game between Robert Morris and Northern Kentucky. According to prosecutors, Smith and Hastings communicated by text and worked to get others involved in allowing Northern Kentucky to cover the 1.5-point spread for the first half of the game. Bettors involved in the scheme are accused of wagering more than $255,000 on that outcome and paying players an undisclosed amount for their involvement.

 

Schools Named:

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