Jalen Smith sentenced to six years in prison for NCAA point-shaving scheme
The admitted match fixer was ordered to pay $1.1 million in restitution for a scheme that corrupted games at more than a dozen schools.
Jalen Smith was sentenced to 72 months in federal prison on Tuesday for his role in a widespread college basketball point-shaving scheme.
Smith, 30, was also ordered to pay approximately $1.1 million in restitution by U.S. District Judge Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro in a Philadelphia courtroom.
"My decisions have consequences and I accept all of them," Smith said before the judge.
Federal prosecutors said Smith played a central role in a bribery conspiracy that corrupted more than 29 NCAA games over two years, involving more than 39 players on more than 17 different teams.
"Jalen Smith played a central role in this point-shaving scheme, which corrupted the integrity of NCAA games and the sport of basketball itself," said David Metcalf, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Prosecutors allege participating players received bribery payments from a syndicate ranging from $10,000 to $30,000.
According to prosecutors, Smith and others recruited players from more than a dozen Division I programs, including DePaul, Northwestern State, Nicholls State, Southern Mississippi, Abilene Christian and New Orleans.
Prosecutors said the scheme resulted in more than $3 million in fraudulent wagers and more than $1.1 million in losses to sportsbooks.
Prosecutor Louis Lappen described the scheme as "far reaching", adding that he has not seen another point-shaving case of its scale on US soil.
Court records show Smith worked with former NBA player Antonio Blakeney to recruit players from more than a half-dozen Division I schools in February 2024 alone.
Blakeney, who now plays for Hapoel Tel Aviv in Israel, is named in the indictment but has not been extradited to the U.S.
Prosecutors allege Blakeney informed co-conspirators he would sit out a March 15, 2023 Chinese Basketball Association game for the Jiangsu Dragons, leading the syndicate to place a six-figure wager on the opposing Zhejiang Golden Bulls.
The Dragons lost 121-80.
In one instance involving a Blakeney game in China, the syndicate allegedly wagered $198,300 on a single game at BetRivers.
According to a 2026 complaint, co-defendant Marves Fairley allegedly left a package with approximately $200,000 in Blakeney's Florida storage unit.
At DePaul, prosecutors say Smith and others recruited forward Micawber Etienne, who then recruited three teammates.
The players allegedly underperformed in three games, including a 104-77 loss to St. John's on March 5 where co-conspirators wagered $52,395 on St. John's to cover the first-half spread.
During that game, Smith texted Etienne urging him to keep the ball away from a player not involved in the scheme, later traveling to Chicago to deliver a $40,000 bribery payment.
Smith's attorney, Rocco Cipparone, said his client was not involved in an alleged CBA scheme that predated the college basketball conspiracy.
Two of Smith's co-defendants, Shane Hennen and Marves Fairley, are also charged in a separate Brooklyn conspiracy involving several former NBA players.
The sentencing comes as a slew of other gambling-related cases are set to be heard in courtrooms across the nation by the end of March.
