2 GA Basketball Players Indicted In Game-Rigging Scheme

Federal authorities on Thursday unsealed an indictment accusing more than two dozen people, including two from Georgia, of orchestrating and participating in what they described as a massive, multi-million dollar basketball point-shaving scheme.

The scheme involved Coastal Athletic Association men's basketball programs and two Chinese Basketball Association teams, authorities said at a news conference in Philadelphia.

United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania David Metcalf, along with FBI Philadelphia Special Agent in Charge Wayne Jacobs, said 26 people are charged in the unsealed indictment. Six of those defendants are "fixers," and 20 are players.

Due to the allegations, federal investigators are also calling into question several games played during the 2024-25 season.

The two Georgia players named in the indictment were 21-year-old Simeon Cottle of Fairburn, who played for Kennesaw State, and 23-year-old Corey Hines of Atlanta, who played for Alabama State.

A full list of players and games is included below.

According to the indictment, the fixers' scheme involved 39 total players from more than 17 Division 1 college basketball teams. They fixed, or tried to fix, 29 games during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, authorities said.

The scheme began in China in 2022 with former Chicago Bulls player and Louisiana State University alumnus Antonio Blakeney, according to Metcalf. Blakeney also played on two teams in the Chinese Basketball Association.

Metcalf said Blakeney and others identified teams favored to lose certain games. They would then bribe a "corrupted" player to underperform during the game to make their own team lose by more points than favored, he said.

"They would bet for them to not cover the points spread," Metcalf said.

That proved so profitable, Blakeney and the two other defendants brought their scheme to the United States, namely in men's college basketball.

College basketball players made $10,000 to $30,000 per instance of point shaving, Metcalf said.
The orchestrators of the scheme also had players recruit other teammates into the racket, according to prosecutors.

They described the alleged actions as "a calculated scheme designed to deceive fans" and said the participants and leaders of the scheme made millions of dollars by fixing games.

Four of the players charged — Simeon Cottle, Carlos Hart, Oumar Koureissi and Camian Shell — played for their current teams in the last few days, although the allegations against them do not involve this season.

Of the defendants, 15 played basketball for Division 1 NCAA schools during 2024-25 season, prosecutors say. Several of them are playing this season. Five others last played in the NCAA in the 2023-24 season while another, former NBA player Blakeney, played in the Chinese Basketball Association in the 2022-23 season.

The other five defendants were described by authorities as fixers.

Defendants in the case are:

Fixers

• Jalen Smith, 30, of Chartotte, North Carolina
• Marves Fairley, 40, of Carson, Mississippi
• Shane Hennen, 40, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Las Vegas, Nevada
• Roderick Winkler, 31, of Little Rock, Arkansas
• Alberto Laureano, 24, of Bronx, New York
• Antonio Blakeney, 29, of Kissimmee, Florida

Players

• Isaiah Adams, 24, of Tampa, Florida; played for SUNY Buffalo
• Arlando Arnold, 24, of Picayune, Mississippi; played for Southern Mississippi
• Simeon Cottle, 21, of Fairburn, Georgia; played for Kennesaw State
• Kevin Cross, 25, of Edinburg, Texas; played for Tulane
• Micawber Etienne, 24, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; played for DePaul
• Bradley Ezewiro, 23, of Los Angeles, California; played for Saint Louis
• Shawn Fulcher, 22, of Brooklyn, New York; played for SUNY Buffalo, Alabama State
• Eluah Gray, 22, of Charlotte, North Carolina; played for Fordham
• Carlos Hart, 23, of Miami, Florida; played for New Orleans
• Markese Hastings, 25, of Grand Rapids, Michigan; played for Robert Morris
• Corey Hines, 23, of Atlanta, Georgia; played for Alabama State
• Cedquavious Hunter, 23, of Como, Mississippi; played for New Orleans
• Oumar Koureissi, 22, of New York, New York; played for Nicholls State
• Da'sean Nelson, 24, of Chicago, Illinois, Depaul; played for Eastern Michigan
• Demond Robinson, 23, of Montgomery Alabama; played for Kennesaw State
• Camian Shell, 25, of Winston-Salem, North Carolina; played for North Carolina A&T
• Dyquavion Short, 23 of Greenville, North Carolina; played for New Orleans
• Airion Simmons, 20, of Little Rock, Arkansas; played for Abilene Christian
• Diante Smith, 25, of Dallas, Texas; played for Nicholls State
• Jalen Terry, 25, of Ypsilanti, Michigan; played for DePaul, Eastern Michigan

Some defendants are in custody, while others are not, officials said.

Below is the list of NCAA games federal authorities said were part of the scheme:

• Feb. 17, 2024 — Nicholls State v. McNeese State - Thibodaux, LA
• Feb. 18, 2024 — Tulane v. East Carolina - Greenville, NC
• Feb. 19, 2024 — Northwestern State v. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi - Corpus Christi, TX
• Feb. 20, 2024 — Saint Louis v. Duquesne - Pittsburgh, PA
• Feb. 21, 2024 — La Salle v. St. Bonaventure - Philadelphia, PA
• Feb. 23, 2024 — Fordham v. Duquesne - Bronx, NY
• Feb. 24, 2024 — SUNY Buffalo v. Western Michigan - Kalamazoo, MI
• Feb. 24, 2024 — DePaul v. Georgetown - Chicago, IL
• Feb. 27, 2024 — SUNY Buffalo v. Kent State - Kent, OH
• Feb. 28, 2024 — Robert Morris v. Northern Kentucky - Moon Township, PA
• Feb. 28, 2024 — Southern Mississippi v. South Alabama - Mobile, AL
• Feb. 29, 2024 — North Carolina A&T v. Towson - Greensboro, NC
• March 1, 2024 — Southern Mississippi v. Louisiana - Lafayette, LA
• March 1, 2024 — Kennesaw State v. Queens Univ. of Charlotte - Charlotte, NC
• March 2, 2024 — Tulane v. Florida Atlantic - Boca Raton, FL
• March 2, 2024 — DePaul v. Butler - Chicago, IL
• March 3, 2024 — SUNY Buffalo v. Ohio State - Buffalo, NY
• March 4, 2024 — Coppin State v. South Carolina State - Baltimore, MD
• March 5, 2024 — DePaul v. St. John's - Chicago, IL
• March 5, 2024 — Robert Morris v. Purdue - Fort Wayne, IN
• March 11, 2024 — New Orleans v. Lamar - Lake Charles, LA
• March 19, 2024 — Abilene Christian v. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi - Stephenville, TX
• March 20, 2024 — Abilene Christian v. Tarleton State - Stephenville, TX
• Nov. 21, 2024 — Eastern Michigan v. Oakland - Rochester, MI
• Dec. 5, 2025 — Alabama State v. Southern Mississippi - Hattiesburg, MS
• Dec. 21, 2024 — Eastern Michigan v. Wright State - Ypsilanti, MI
• Dec. 28, 2024 — New Orleans v. McNeese State - Lake Charles, LA
• Dec. 30, 2014 — New Orleans v. Vanderbilt - Nashville, TN
• Jan. 11, 2025 — New Orleans v. Southeastern Louisiana - New Orleans, LA

Students, alumni and fans of these teams are the victims in this case, authorities said. They span every sector of American life, according to officials.

It's unclear if those who bet on these games and lost money will have recourse. Metcalf said that's something sportsbooks that allowed wagers to be placed on these games will have to address.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.