More than a dozen US college basketball players are among 26 people charged in connection with a sprawling betting scheme that sought to rig NCAA and Chinese Basketball Association games, federal prosecutors said on Thursday. The alleged conspiracy involved fixers recruiting players with promises of payments ranging from $10,000 to $30,000 per game in exchange for deliberately underperforming, allowing the fixers to place large bets against those teams.
The scheme began with two games in the Chinese Basketball Association in 2023 before moving on to NCAA games as recently as January 2025, according to the indictment unsealed in Philadelphia. Prosecutors said the fixers then placed bets on the fixed games, defrauding sportsbooks and other bettors. In many instances, the wagers were successful, and sportsbooks paid out winnings.
Of the defendants, 15 played basketball for Division I NCAA schools during the 2024-25 season, with several still playing this season. Four of those charged – Simeon Cottle, Carlos Hart, Oumar Koureissi and Camian Shell – played for their current teams in the last few days, though the allegations do not involve this season. Five others last played in the NCAA in the 2023-24 season, while a former NBA player, Antonio Blakeney, played in the Chinese Basketball Association in the 2022-23 season.
The other five defendants were described as fixers, including two who worked in player training and development, a trainer and former coach, a former NCAA player, and two described as gamblers, influencers and sports handicappers. The charges include bribery, wire fraud and conspiracy. US Attorney David Metcalf called the scheme an “international criminal conspiracy” that represents a “significant corruption of the integrity of sports.”
NCAA president Charlie Baker said in a statement: “Protecting competition integrity is of the utmost importance for the NCAA. We are thankful for law enforcement agencies working to detect and combat integrity issues and match manipulation in college sports.” He added that the NCAA had already been investigating many of the teams involved. The case follows a series of NCAA investigations that have led to at least 10 players receiving lifetime bans for betting-related violations.
