17 Colleges, Including Abilene Christian, Alleged in Point-Shaving Scheme

WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors say nearly 30 college basketball games were fixed as part of a sweeping point-shaving scheme that authorities described Thursday as one of the most significant corruption cases in the sport’s history.

A federal indictment unsealed in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania charges 20 men in a scheme involving 39 college basketball players from 17 NCAA Division I programs, including Abilene Christian. Prosecutors allege the defendants conspired to manipulate the outcomes of at least 29 games for gambling purposes.

Fifteen of the defendants were college basketball players during the 2023-24 and/or 2024-25 seasons, according to the indictment. Two players named, Cedquavious Hunter and Dyquavian Short, were previously sanctioned by the NCAA in November for fixing games involving New Orleans.

Four other players charged — Simeon Cottle, Carlos Hart, Camian Shell and Oumar Koureissi — have appeared for their current teams within the past week. Prosecutors said the allegations involving Hart, Shell and Koureissi stem from their prior schools, while Cottle’s alleged conduct occurred during the 2023-24 season. None of the accusations involve games from the current season.

“This was a massive scheme that enveloped the world of college basketball,” U.S. Attorney David Metcalf said at a news conference. “This was a significant and rampant corruption of college athletics.”

The charges include bribery, wire fraud and conspiracy. Bribery counts carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison, while wire fraud charges are punishable by up to 20 years.

Authorities described five of the defendants as fixers. Two of them — Shane Hennen and Marves Fairley — were also charged in a separate federal indictment in the Eastern District of New York related to gambling schemes involving the NBA.

Former NBA player Antonio Blakeney was named in the indictment but not charged. Prosecutors said he is “charged elsewhere.”

According to the 70-page indictment, the scheme began around September 2022 and initially focused on fixing games in the Chinese Basketball Association before expanding to U.S. college basketball. Prosecutors allege the group paid college players between $10,000 and $30,000 to influence game outcomes to benefit illicit betting activity.

“In placing these wagers on games they had fixed, the defendants defrauded sportsbooks, as well as individual sports bettors,” the indictment states.

Metcalf called the case a “pretty pervasive corruption scheme” and described it as historic.

In response, NCAA President Charlie Baker said the association has opened betting-integrity investigations into about 40 players from 20 schools over the past year.

“Protecting competition integrity is of the utmost importance for the NCAA,” Baker said in a statement, adding that the conduct detailed in the indictment was “not entirely new information” to the organization. He urged states and regulators to eliminate collegiate prop bets, calling them a threat to athletes and the integrity of college sports.