Federal prosecutors indict 26 people for allegedly fixing college basketball games in widespread conspiracy
Federal prosecutors in Pennsylvania announced Thursday that at least 26 people were indicted in an alleged "transactional criminal scheme" to fix NCAA Division 1 men's basketball games and professional Chinese Basketball Association games.
The announcement follows the federal government’s crackdown on illicit sports gambling and point-shaving schemes that engulfed the NBA in October.
United States attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, David Metcalf, announced the indictment at a press conference on Thursday where he said that the alleged scheme took place across a three year span and involved 17 NCAA Division 1 men's programs and dozens of college athletes and fixed games.
"When criminals pollute the purity of sports by manipulating competition, it doesn't just imperil the integrity of sports betting markets and imperils the integrity of sport itself and everything that sports represent to us, you know, hard work, determination and fairness," Metcalf said.
"We allege an extensive international criminal conspiracy of NCAA players, alumni and professional bettors who fixed games across the country and poisoned the American spirit of competition for monetary gain."
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