Twenty are charged in "significant" college basketball point-shaving scheme

The federal government has charged 20 men in a point-shaving scheme involving 39 college basketball players from 17 Division I teams. Among the defendants, 15 played college basketball during the 2023-24 and/or 2024-25 seasons, while the remaining five were identified as "fixers." Four players from the scheme had participated in games for their current teams within the past week. The charges include bribery, wire fraud, and conspiracy. U.S. Attorney David Metcalf described the scheme as a significant corruption of college athletics. Initially targeting games in the Chinese Basketball Association, the effort shifted focus to U.S. college basketball, with bribes ranging from $10,000 to $30,000. The detection of this scheme raises concerns about the potential prevalence of similar activities in college basketball and other sports.