PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (WLOX) – On Thursday, one of the largest sports playing schemes in history was unveiled. According to court docket paperwork, greater than 39 gamers throughout 17 completely different NCAA Division I groups participated in a points-shaving scheme that resulted in dozens of video games being mounted over the previous two seasons.
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According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the scheme was led by six completely different fixers:
- Marves Fairley, 40, of Carson, Miss.
- Jalen Smith, 30, of Charlotte, N.C.
- Shane Hennen, 40, of Las Vegas, Nev. and Philadelphia, Pa.
- Antonio Blakeney, 29, of Kissimmee, Fla.
- Roderick Winkler, 31, of Little Rock, Ark.
- Albert Laureano, 24, of Bronx, N.Y.
An indictment states that beginning in September 2022, a bunch together with Fairley and Hennen started recruiting gamers keen to assist repair Chinese Basketball Association video games. One of these gamers was Blakeney, an LSU alum and former NBA participant who was then rostered by the CBA’s Jiangsu Dragons and was one of the league’s main scorers.
After efficiently rigging CBA video games, officers say the group moved on to fixing NCAA video games. Court paperwork state the group tried to repair not less than 29 video games.
Three of these concerned Southern Miss, and officers declare one of them roped in one other participant at a unique faculty.
Southern Miss: Mo Arnold, “Person #9″ and “Person #10″
Though the scheme ran from 2022 to 2025, Southern Miss players weren’t contacted until late February 2024. Fairley, Smith, and Blakeney all put efforts towards recruiting Picayune alum and Golden Eagles guard Arlando “Mo” Arnold, together with two different unnamed Golden Eagles gamers who seem in court docket paperwork as “Person #9″ and “Person #10.”
In FaceTime calls, all three gamers agreed to throw a recreation on February 28, 2024, against South Alabama, who was favored to steer by 1.5 after the first half in line with sportsbooks all through the nation. Before the recreation, Fairley, Hennen, and others following their lead positioned bets of roughly $275,000 on South Alabama to cowl the first half unfold. Parlays have been additionally positioned, which included different mounted video games.
In texts between Fairley and one other bettor, Fairley confirmed Arnold agreed to repair the recreation, telling the bettor, “we locked in[.] he [Arnold] gone call after practice tho.”
During the recreation, Arnold went the whole first half with out scoring a degree and completed the recreation with 2 regardless of enjoying 20 minutes. Despite his efforts, the first half ended in a tie rating, and the fixers misplaced their bets.
Following the failed try and given the main losses, Arnold agreed to make up for it by serving to repair the workforce’s subsequent recreation in opposition to the Louisiana Rajin’ Cajuns on March 1, 2024. Shortly earlier than the recreation, Arnold and the two unnamed gamers FaceTimed with Fairley and Blakeney. In that decision, all three gamers agreed to underperform. “Person #9″ even agreed to sit out.
When the game began, Louisiana was favored by 5 points in the first half. Hennen, Blakeney, and others placed bets totaling roughly $161,000 on Louisiana to cover the first half spread. As agreed upon, the three USM players underperformed, and Louisiana led 39-23 going into halftime. In the second half, Southern Miss played significantly better, scoring 38 points. Louisiana won the game, 77-61.
On March 3, 2024, Fairley texted a co-schemer to arrange bribe payments to Arnold and his teammates for successfully fixing the game against Louisiana. One text read, “I’m gone swing by [the co-schemer’s] spot later and give him the bread.” Fairley paid Arnold and his two teammates tens of 1000’s of {dollars}.
After the Louisiana recreation and efficiently receiving his cost, Arnold continued to assist recruit different NCAA males’s basketball gamers for the point-shaving scheme. He’d later work with Smith to attempt to recruit different Southern Miss gamers to the scheme in December 2024. Court paperwork don’t state whether or not or not these gamers agreed.
UNO: Carlos Hart
In not less than one occasion, the point-shaving scheme not solely ran by means of Hattiesburg, but in addition touched Coast casinos.
In March 2024, a bunch of fixers, together with Smith, Fairley, Winkler and Blakeney, recruited Carlos Hart, a guard at the University of New Orleans. As half of the recruitment course of, the fixers used Arnold to assist encourage him. Hart agreed and recruited a teammate, listed as “Person #14,” to affix him at the group’s request.
On March 11, 2024, UNO performed in opposition to Lamar in a postseason recreation in the second spherical of the Southland Conference Basketball Championship. Lamar was favored by 11 factors.
After recruiting “Person #14,” one of UNO’s main scorers, Hart FaceTimed with him and the fixers to debate how they’d throw the recreation. The fixers supplied the two a complete of $20,000 to make sure that New Orleans did not cowl the unfold. Before the recreation, Fairley, Hennen, Winkler and others all positioned bets totaling not less than $150,000 on Lamar to cowl.
During the recreation, each Hart and “Person #14″ underperformed. Hart scored just one point, and Lamar won the game, 71-57.
On March 12, 2024, Fairley arranged for a co-schemer to deliver $20,000 in cash to Hart at a casino in Biloxi. The payment was made as planned.
Hart is at least one of four UNO players involved in the scheme, with former players Cedquavious Hunter, Dyquavian Short and Jamond Vincent being banned from the NCAA for life in November 2025.
Hart now plays for Eastern Michigan University — a program that also had players involved in the scheme before his transfer.
Alabama State: Shawn Fulcher and CJ Hines
Southern Miss basketball was mentioned in at least one other case.
For the 2024-2025 season, guard Shawn Fulcher transferred from Buffalo to Alabama State. During his time at Buffalo, Fulcher fixed games. He continued even after his transfer, working closely with Smith and recruiting other teammates — guard CJ Hines and two others referred to in court documents as “Person #16″ and “Person #17.”
On November 10, 2024, Smith despatched the following textual content, referring as to what would occur if he managed to recruit Hines and the two others: “on my mama u gone be a rich young man this year.”
Fulton responded with: “Bro honestly we need to get this sh*t rolling the right way asap! I ain’t even touch the floor tonight idk why or what my coach on but at this point I don’t even give a f*ck I’m just tryna get paid bro! I got my [teammates] on board…so we good.”
Later in the trade, Smith added that he wished to make a wager of $100,000. Fulcher responded with, “Say no more Ima get on the phone with yall after practice.”
On December 5, 2024, before a game against Southern Miss, Fulcher despatched the following textual content when referring to a dialog with Hines: “And I spoke to [Hines] I told [Hines] straight up. don’t not try no extra sh*t today or get off crazy and i got sum extra bread for you.”
Southern Miss was favored by 6 factors for the full recreation. Smith advised the gamers that he would be sure that they have been “situated” and advised them to lose by “like 8″ so he wouldn’t “stress. After Fulcher and his teammates reassured him, Smith sent a picture of a large stack of cash that he said he was betting on the game.
Before tip-off, Smith tried to place a $50,000 bet at a casino in Kentucky on Southern Miss to cover the spread. The casino rejected the bet, but allowed Smith to bet $860 instead.
As the game went on, Fulcher, Hines and the two other players underperformed as agreed upon. However, Alabama State led by 3 at halftime, causing Smith to send a text to the players telling them to, “LET [Southern Miss] LAY IT UP.” “Person #17″ responded to the texts, saying that Southern Miss was “so bad” that the gamers have been having hassle throwing the recreation.
Southern Miss outscored Alabama State 51-31 in the second half, permitting the Golden Eagles to simply cowl the unfold with an 81-64 victory.
Shortly after the recreation, Smith despatched texts to the gamers saying he deliberate to fly to Mississippi to pay them for fixing the recreation. However, Smith didn’t ship, and the gamers have been by no means paid.
MVSU: Donovan Sanders and Alvin Stredic Jr.
Former MGCCC star Donovan Sanders can also be closely concerned with the betting scheme. Sanders transferred to Mississippi Valley State University in 2023, the place he appeared in 59 video games throughout two seasons.
In November 2025, the NCAA revoked the eligibility of six NCAA basketball gamers. Two of them have been from MVSU, together with Sanders, who allegedly supplied info to a 3rd social gathering that had positioned wagers on two separate Delta Devils video games.
Prior to MVSU’s recreation on December 21, 2024, in opposition to Tulsa, a teammate overheard Sanders on the cellphone speaking about “throwing the gam.” Later, photograph photographs revealed incriminating texts that Sanders couldn’t clarify.
On January 6, 2025, MVSU’s recreation in opposition to Alabama A&M was flagged as suspicious because of it being 3.6x larger than the common betting deal with of Southwest Athletic Conference video games. Sanders and his teammate, Alvin Stredic Jr., have been supplied cash to throw the recreation by one other nameless caller who advised them to play poorly in the first half.
That night time, Stredic scored solely one level in 33 minutes sandwiched between a 21-point efficiency two nights earlier than and a 17-point exhibiting one recreation later.
The wagers for that recreation have been positioned in Mississippi casinos.
Both Sanders and Stredic are not enrolled at the college.
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