Fifteen former college hoops players charged in bribery and fraud indictment
BY ALEJANDRO LOPEZ
Federal investigators are filing a sports bribery and wire fraud charges against 26 individuals involved with college basketball.
The players are accused of under-performing in games on purpose — for cash.
Also included in the investigation is former Chicago Bull and LSU player Antonio Blakeney, who is listed in the investigation as “charged elsewhere” separate from the other 15 former athletes.
Fifteen of those individuals played college basketball over the last two seasons, including four this season.
The four current players are. Kennesaw State’s Simeon Cottle, Eastern Michigan’s Carlos Hart, Delaware State’s Camian Shell and Texas Southern’s Oumar Koureissi, per ESPN, although none are stars.
“A scheme began around the fall of 2022 and initially was focused overseas on Chinese Basketball Association, where a few games were compromised, according to the indictment,” ESPN sports betting reporter David Purdum said on “SportsCenter.”
“Eventually, the gambling ring shifted its focus to NCAA college basketball ahead of the 2023 24 season. So here in the US, this gambling ring, which allegedly included a former NBA player and others with connections to competitive basketball, they began reaching out to college players via social media, through text messages, they started offering them bribes ranging from $10,000 to $30,000 to dozens of players at more than 17 Division 1 schools. In exchange, they asked for those players to intentionally play poorly so the betters could win on their bets. By the end of this scheme, millions of the dollars had been wagered and won on these 29 basketball games that federal authorities say were fixed.”
The charges include game fixing, point shaving and performance manipulation. The investigation is a developing situation.
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