Fifteen former NCAA players charged in US-China basketball scandal investigation

Federal Prosecutors Unseal Charges Against 20 Individuals, Including Former College Basketball Players

Twenty individuals, including 15 former college basketball players, have been charged by federal prosecutors in the United States with participating in a betting scheme to rig National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) games. The charges, which include bribery in sporting contests and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, were unsealed on Thursday.

According to the indictment, the defendants allegedly conspired to fix games from September 2022 through February 2025. During the 2022-2023 CBA season, some individuals sought to manipulate the margin of victory by “point shaving”. The targets of the scheme included several NCAA schools and universities in the United States.

The indictment alleges that the fixers recruited college basketball players with “bribe payments” typically ranging from $10,000 to $30,000 per game. Five defendants were described as fixers, including two men who worked in training and development of basketball players, a trainer and former coach, and two individuals involved in sports handicapping.

The charges follow a series of NCAA investigations that led to at least 10 players receiving lifetime bans this year for betting on games involving their own teams. The NCAA has also reported that at least 30 players have been investigated over gambling allegations. In addition, more than 30 people were charged in last year’s federal takedown of illegal gambling operations linked to professional basketball.

The indictment was filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and is ongoing.

Source: Al Jazeera