Prosecutors say 26 defendants, including 20 college players, took bribes to influence games.
PHILADELPHIA, PA — Federal prosecutors unsealed charges against 26 people on Jan. 15, alleging a sweeping, two-continent point-shaving scheme that reached Division I men’s basketball and the Chinese Basketball Association. The case centers on fixers who allegedly recruited and bribed players, then wagered millions on manipulated outcomes, authorities said.
Prosecutors said the conspiracy began in 2022 and moved from the CBA into U.S. college basketball during the 2023–24 and 2024–25 seasons, with bribe offers typically ranging from $10,000 to $30,000 per game. A U.S. attorney announced the case alongside senior FBI officials, calling it an attack on the integrity of competition. The indictment lists alleged ringleaders and accuses participants of orchestrating first-half and full-game spreads that failed to cover, producing large payouts. The filings describe more than 39 players across at least 17 Division I programs and 29 contests affected or targeted. All defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
According to charging documents, the plot began with Chinese league contests in the 2022–23 season and later expanded to NCAA games after the fixers profited overseas. Prosecutors said organizers used social media, text messages and in-person meetings to approach players, promising cash that, for some, would meet or exceed their name-image-likeness earnings. “The criminal charges we have filed allege the corruption of collegiate athletics through an international conspiracy,” U.S. Attorney David Metcalf said at a Philadelphia news conference. FBI Deputy Director Andrew Bailey credited a two-year investigation by the bureau’s Philadelphia field office and warned “there is nowhere to hide” for those who choose to manipulate results.
The indictment identifies alleged fixers and outlines money drops and travel connected to bribe payments. Prosecutors said one organizer left nearly $200,000 in cash in a Florida storage unit used by a player after the CBA regular season ended in April 2023. After that, the group allegedly recruited U.S. college athletes to miss shots, commit turnovers or otherwise underperform in ways tailored to point spreads. Investigators said wagers totaling millions were placed against teams whose players had agreed to help ensure their side failed to cover, and when bets paid out, members of the group traveled to campuses to hand over cash. Officials said the scheme targeted underdogs and players whose financial situations made bribes more persuasive. Specific matchups and totals remain part of the court record.
Prosecutors said the alleged manipulation touched at least 29 games while fixers sought out players at 17 Division I schools, a breadth that underscores the reach of legal and illegal wagering into college sports. The case arrives as the NCAA presses states to prohibit prop bets on individual college athletes, arguing such markets are easily abused. Some states have adopted limits since 2023, but others have not; regulators in Missouri, which launched legal wagering late last year, declined this week to add a ban. The wider sports world has seen parallel cases in professional leagues, where investigators say inside information and early exits from games fed profitable prop bets and damaged public trust.
The charges include bribery in sporting contests, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud. Bribery in sporting contests carries a maximum of five years in prison, while wire-fraud counts carry up to twenty years each, plus supervised release and fines. Prosecutors said assistant U.S. attorneys in Philadelphia are leading the case after a joint probe by FBI teams in Pennsylvania and New York. Defendants are expected to make initial appearances in federal court, with further proceedings to be scheduled by judges assigned to the matter. Additional filings include an indictment and several informations naming individual defendants and summarizing alleged roles. Authorities said the investigation remains active and encouraged tipsters to contact the FBI’s Philadelphia office.
The news conference unfolded at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Center City, where agents and prosecutors described a scheme they said was calibrated to the betting market. Reporters were told the group favored first-half lines and underdog teams because subtle underperformance could change a spread without obviously throwing a game. “The stakes here are far higher than anything on a bet slip,” Metcalf said, calling the case another blow to public confidence in sport. Outside the courthouse, fans and alumni who gathered for updates expressed frustration, while compliance officers at several schools said they were reviewing rosters and communications protocols pending any NCAA actions.
As of Thursday, officials said charging documents had been unsealed and arrests were underway in multiple jurisdictions, with defendants to be processed and scheduled for hearings in the coming days. The NCAA said it is sharing information with law enforcement and reviewing eligibility positions for any athletes still on campuses. Regulators in some states have scheduled agenda items for upcoming meetings to consider additional restrictions on college-athlete wagering markets. Prosecutors said they plan discovery exchanges and potential detention arguments at initial hearings, and any superseding indictments, if filed, would be announced on the docket.
Author note: Last updated January 22, 2026.