* NBC Chicago…

Several former DePaul basketball players have been charged by federal authorities in a big-money point-shaving and game-fixing scheme, according to a new grand jury indictment reviewed by NBC 5 Investigates.

The indictment reads like an anatomy of a game-fixing plot, with cash being flown across the country, secret deliveries of bribes and payoffs, texted photos of cash stacks and hushed conversations to plan the plot. […]

Former college All-American Antonio Blakeney, who also played for the Chicago Bulls, is among the players charged with throwing games for cash, according to an indictment unsealed Thursday in Philadelphia.

Among the former DePaul players named in federal charges are Jalen Terry, Da’Sean Nelson, and Micawber Etienne.

* The New York Times…

Prosecutors said [sports-betting influencers Shane Hennen and Marves Fairley] worked with others to recruit college players with bribes and then asked them to help fix games so their teams would not cover the spread — the number of points by which a sportsbook predicted a team would lose its game. The players, prosecutors say, were offered between $10,000 to $30,000 for each game to be a part of their gambling ring. Hennen and Fairley face three federal charges, while [former LSU and NBA player Antonio Blakeney] was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. […]

The scheme began in 2022, according to prosecutors, when Fairley and Hennen recruited Blakeney, then playing in China for the Jiangsu Dragons for the Chinese Basketball Association, to fix games in that league. Blakeney, who had played two seasons in the NBA, was asked to manipulate his performance in some Jiangsu games so that Fairley and Hennen could wager and win on them in the United States.

Fairley and Hennen bet $198,300 at a Pennsylvania casino, along with other wagers, on one March 2023 game where Jiangsu was an 11.5 point underdog. Blakeney scored just 11 points in that game during a season in which he averaged more than 32, and his team lost by 31 points. Later that month, prosecutors allege that Blakeney said he would not play in a game on March 15 but that his replacement would take their money to perform and help them. Fairley and Hennen, according to the indictment, bet about $100,000 in total on that game.

The scheme grew profitable enough that Hennen, according to the indictment, texted another person involved that “Nothing gu[a]rantee[d] in this world but death[,] taxes[,] and Chinese basketball.”

* Reuters…

The scheme widened to U.S. college basketball during the 2023-2024 season, according to prosecutors, who said the defendants recruited players to accept bribes for helping to ensure their teams came up short of their projected margins of victory, or spreads.

Prosecutors said the proliferation of legalized sports betting allowed the fixers to avoid detection by spreading their wagers around widely.

* The indictment alleges that fixers bribed DePaul men’s basketball players to shave points in three games over a 10-day stretch in early 2024. From the indictment…

In or about late February 2024, in FaceTime communications among the fixers and the DePaul players, defendants JALEN TERRY and DA SEAN NELSON, and Micawber Etienne and Person #6, agreed to fix an upcoming DePaul game in exchange for bribe payments. In particular, shortly before the NCAA men’s basketball game between DePaul and the Georgetown University Hoyas Men’s Basketball Team (”Georgetown”) on or about February 24, 2024, the players agreed to underperform in and influence the first half of the Georgetown game so that DePaul would not cover the first-half spread. Georgetown was favored by approximately 2.5 points for the first half at sportsbooks throughout the United States and elsewhere.

On or about February 23, 2024, defendants JALEN SMITH, ALBERTO LAUREANO, and JALEN TERRY, and Micawber Etienne, communicated via text to further ensure that the DePaul players agreed to participate in the scheme. For example, Etienne texted defendant SMITH, “Just talked to them it’s a lock ima call you after practice.”

Before the NCAA men’s basketball game between DePaul and Georgetown on or about February 24, 2024, the fixers and others acting at their direction, including defendant MARVES FAIRLEY, placed at least approximately $27,000 in wagers with sportsbooks on Georgetown to cover the first half spread of approximately 2.5 points. […]

Around halftime of this game, when it was clear that the point-shaving scheme was succeeding, defendant JALEN SMITH texted Etienne about arranging to pay the bribe money and complimented defendants TERRY and NELSON for underperforming as they had agreed: “1 love Jalen terry he perfected his job.. Sh*t Nelson snapped too.” Without the DePaul players intentionally underperforming in the second half of the game, DePaul played substantially better, outscoring Georgetown 48 to 36. […]

Shortly after this game, on or about February 25, 2024, defendant JALEN SMITH traveled to Chicago, Illinois, and delivered $40,000 in cash to make the bribe payments owed to defendants JALEN TERRY and DA’SEAN NELSON, and Micawber Etienne and Person #6, for influencing the first half of their game against Georgetown. Defendant SMITH communicated via text with Etienne about delivering the bribe payments and fixing another upcoming DePaul game. Etienne told defendant SMITH, “[Just hit me we got another game this weekend.” Defendant SMITH also texted Antonio Blakeney, telling him that he was traveling to Chicago to deliver the cash bribes and included a photograph of a large amount of cash that he was going to provide to the players.

* Next, a March 2 match between DePaul and Butler University was allegedly fixed…

Before the NCAA men’s basketball game between DePaul and Butler on or about March 2, 2024, the fixers, including defendants MARVES FAIRLEY and SHANE HENNEN, and others acting at their direction, placed wagers with various sportsbooks totaling at least approximately $123,789 on Butler to cover the first-half spread. To increase the profitability of their scheme, these wagers included “parlays” on this game along with other games that the schemers had fixed by bribing players. Defendant FAIRLEY and other co-schemers communicated via text about these wagers. For example, a straw bettor for defendant FAIRLEY texted defendant FAIRLEY, “[Sports]book horrible only let me put 12k [$12,000] on butler.” […]

Shortly after the game between DePaul and Butler, defendant JALEN SMITH informed Micawber Etienne that he would travel to Chicago to make the bribe payments to defendants JALEN TERRY and DA’SEAN NELSON, and Micawber Etienne and Person #6, following an upcoming DePaul game that defendant SMITH and his co-schemers also intended to fix through underperformance of the DePaul players.

Shortly before the March 5, 2024, game between DePaul and the St. John’s University Red Storm Men’s Basketball Team (”St. John’s”), defendant JALEN SMITH arranged with defendants JALEN TERRY and DA’SEAN NELSON, and Micawber Etienne and Person #6, for the DePaul players to underperform in and influence the first half of the game so that DePaul would not cover the first-half spread. St. John’s was favored by approximately 15 points in the first half at sportsbooks throughout the United States and elsewhere. Defendant SMITH and Etienne communicated via text about their plans for fixing this game and for the DePaul players to receive their bribe payments. Etienne texted defendant SMITH to confirm that he and his teammates had agreed to fix this game, telling defendant SMITH that the DePaul players “trynna make yah the big money while we take a little cut… I just talked to them and we gon see what the spread is” for the game against St. John’s. Defendant SMITH and Etienne further texted about defendant SMITH delivering the “bread,” or bribe payment, to him and the DePaul players after the St. John’s game.

Before the NCAA men’s basketball game between DePaul and St. John’s on or about March 5, 2024, the fixers, including defendants MARVES FAIRLEY and SHANE HENNEN, and others acting at their direction, placed wagers with various sportsbooks totaling at least approximately $52,395 on St. John’s to cover the first-half spread. To increase the profitability of their scheme, these wagers included “parlays” on this game along with other games that the schemers had fixed by bribing players. […]

During the game on or about March 5, 2024, defendant JALEN SMITH texted Micawber Etienne to complain that one of the players who was not involved in the point-shaving scheme was playing well and needed to “chillill [the f*ck] out.” Etienne texted defendant SMITH back, during the game, and assured him that the DePaul players involved in the scheme were keeping the ball away from that player and preventing him from scoring. Defendant SMITH responded that if Etienne and the DePaul players keep to the plan, the “bag,” or bribe payments, would be “on the way.” […]

After arriving in Chicago, defendant SMITH met with defendant TERRY and Etienne and delivered $40,000 in cash as bribe payments for the DePaul players who participated in the point-shaving scheme.