Man who helped recruit players into a sprawling NCAA basketball point-shaving scheme pleads guilty

First Guilty Plea in NCAA Basketball Betting Scandal as March Madness Approaches

A key figure in a massive NCAA basketball betting scandal pleaded guilty Monday, marking the first formal admission among 26 individuals charged in the multi-million dollar scheme that allegedly rigged college basketball games across the country.

Jalen Smith of Charlotte, North Carolina, entered a guilty plea to wire fraud and bribery charges in federal court in Philadelphia. His admission comes just one week before the start of March Madness, college basketball’s premier tournament where Americans are expected to wager billions of dollars both legally and illegally.

Prosecutors identified Smith as one of the “fixers” in the operation, leveraging his connections as a trainer who developed local basketball players for professional scouting combines. These relationships proved valuable when Smith allegedly began recruiting players to deliberately underperform during games.

Smith’s attorney, Rocco Cipparone, said his client pleaded guilty to put the matter behind him and “move forward in his life in a positive direction.” According to Cipparone, Smith had been in discussions with prosecutors about a plea agreement well before formal charges were filed in January.

The expansive case, which federal authorities unveiled earlier this year, implicates not only fixers who recruited players and placed bets but also 17 former college basketball players and four others who were active with their teams this season. Prosecutors allege that more than a dozen players attempted to fix games as recently as last season, with some helping to recruit teammates into the scheme.

According to court documents, Smith actively participated in game-fixing during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. His role allegedly involved placing bets, recruiting players with promises of substantial payments, and personally delivering cash payments. In one instance, prosecutors say Smith traveled to Louisiana to arrange the delivery of approximately $32,000 to two players involved in the scheme.

The scope of the operation is staggering. What began with fixing two games in the Chinese Basketball Association in 2023 quickly expanded to the NCAA, where prosecutors allege the scheme ultimately involved more than 39 players across 17 different Division I men’s basketball teams. The conspirators allegedly attempted to rig more than 29 games, including contests in major conferences and some playoff matchups.

The indictment claims the scheme targeted games at over 40 schools, including Tulane University and DePaul University. Some of the fixed games reportedly included playoff contests like the first round of the Horizon League championship and the second round of the Southland Conference championship.

The financial scale was equally impressive, with prosecutors alleging that fixers wagered millions of dollars and reaped “substantial proceeds.” Players typically received bribes ranging from $10,000 to $30,000 per game, with the total payouts reaching hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The scheme’s mechanics were relatively straightforward but required coordination. Players recruited into the operation would deliberately play poorly, sit out key moments, or prevent teammates not involved in the scheme from scoring. The fixers would then bet against these teams, defrauding both sportsbooks and legitimate bettors. Court documents note that sometimes these attempts failed, resulting in betting losses for the conspirators.

In a separate case highlighted during Monday’s proceedings, Smith also pleaded guilty to a weapons charge stemming from an FBI search of his North Carolina residence last May. Agents discovered a loaded handgun in a hamper underneath clothing. Smith, prohibited from possessing firearms due to a 2018 drug conviction, reportedly told agents he had purchased the weapon outside a Charlotte sneaker store. Investigators later discovered the firearm had been reported stolen.

This gambling scandal represents the latest in a series of betting-related controversies to hit American sports since the 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision that effectively legalized sports betting across much of the country. The case against Smith and his co-defendants highlights the ongoing challenges faced by sports leagues, law enforcement, and regulatory bodies in maintaining the integrity of competitions in this new era of widespread legal gambling.