On the heels of an NBA gambling scandal that rocked the sports world in October, federal prosecutors have secured indictments against 20 people accused of fixing college basketball games, as well as professional games in China, according to court documents obtained by USA TODAY Sports.
According to records unsealed Thursday, Jan. 15, sports gamblers worked with players who agreed to underperform in games from 2022 to 2025 in a widespread point-shaving scheme.
The charges, filed in federal court in Philadelphia, include bribery, wire fraud and conspiracy. The fraud charges carry a maximum sentence of up to 20 years. The bribery charges have a maximum sentence of five years.
One player named in the indictment is Antonio Blakeney, a former member of the Chicago Bulls, who later played for the Jiangsu Dragons in China.
For his role in the scheme, prosecutors say Blakeney, 29, received a one-time cash payment of $200,000, which another defendant dropped into a storage unit Blakeney had in Florida. Blakeney later went on to recruit college players to shave points in NCAA games.
