DePaul Basketball Players Indicted, Named In Game-Rigging Scheme

CHICAGO, IL — Federal authorities have charged several former DePaul basketball players in a game-fixing plot, according to court documents unsealed Thursday.

A grand jury indictment details a point-shaving scheme that included cash being flown across the country, bribes and payoffs and secret text conversations containing pictures of stacks of money. Due to the allegations, federal investigators are calling several games in the 2024-25 season into question.

Former DePaul players named in the charges include Jalen Terry and Da'Sean Nelson, who last played during the 2023-24 season, as well as Micawber Etienne. The indictment accuses a total of 39 players from various teams of rigging college games and contests in the Chinese Basketball Association.

Massive College Basketball Point-Shaving Scheme Uncovered By Philly Feds

According to the indictment, "On or about February 24, 2024, in the NCAA men's basketball game between Georgetown and DePaul, at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois, defendants Jalen Terry and Da'Sean Nelson, and Micawber Etienne and Person #6, underperformed in and influenced the first half as they had agreed. Georgetown outscored DePaul 4l to 28 in the first half, covering the spread of approximately 2.5 points, and the fixers won their bets."

The indictment also named former college All-American Antonio Blakeney, who played for the Chicago Bulls in 2017-19 and later for the Jiangsu Dragons in China. According to the unsealed document, Blakeney threw games for cash, receiving a one-time cash payment of $200,000, according to USA Today. He's also accused of recruiting college players to shave points in NCAA games.

United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania David Metcalf said In China, Blakeney and others identified games involving teams favored to lose and would then bribe a "corrupted" player to throw the game.

The scheme ended up being so successful and profitable that the group decided to bring it to men's college basketball, Metcalf said. College basketball players who cooperated made between $10,000 to $30,000 per instance of point shaving.

The case originated in Philidelphia, but soon spread across the league. Below is the list of NCAA games in Illinois that federal authorities said were part of the scheme:

• Feb. 24, 2024 — DePaul v. Georgetown - Chicago, IL
• March 2, 2024 — DePaul v. Butler - Chicago, IL
• March 5, 2024 — DePaul v. St. John's - Chicago, IL

Authorities said students, alumni and fans were the victims of this scheme. It's unclear if those who bet on the fixed games and lost money will have recourse, as Metcalf said that is up to sportsbooks that allowed wagers to be placed on these games.