A man who recruited college basketball players to fix games was sentenced to six years in prison for his role in a major betting scandal, the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania announced.
- Jalen Smith faces a 72-month sentence, $1.1 million in restitution fees, and a $75,000 forfeiture.
- The game-fixing recruiter targeted players who didn’t have significant NIL deals.
- Prosecutor says scheme “corrupted the integrity of NCAA games.”
Jalen Smith, 30, pleaded guilty in March to bribery, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud after admitting he used his connections as a basketball trainer to help himself and a group of bettors defraud sportsbooks and their customers.
According to a joint investigation with the FBI, Smith helped identify and convince players to fix games and promised payments if they underperformed during the 2023-24 and 2024-2025 seasons as part of a large betting scheme that saw over 25 individuals indicted on federal charges.
“Jalen Smith played a central role in this point-shaving scheme, which corrupted the integrity of NCAA games and the sport of basketball itself,” U.S. Attorney David Metcalf said. “As his prosecution and sentence show, we will not permit the criminal corruption of athletic competition to go unanswered. Those engaged in such behavior may profit in the short term, but they’ll lose much more when our team takes them to court.”
Smith was also charged with unlawful possession of a firearm. In addition to the 72-month sentence, United States District Judge Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro requires Smith to serve three years of supervised release, pay back over $1 million in restitution, and forfeit $75,000.
Smith could have faced a much harsher sentence. Each wire fraud and conspiracy count came with a sentence of up to 20 years, and the maximum for bribery was five years.
Targeting players
Smith not only arranged for large wagers to be placed on fixed games, he also managed the scheme and coordinated payments to players who agreed to manipulate games for a betting group that wagered on the other team to cover the spread, according to federal prosecutors. Smith was charged with delivering $32,000 in bribe payments to players in Louisiana.
Smith targeted teams that were underdogs and players at schools without large Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals, leading to a higher compensation for aiding the scheme than they were making legally playing college basketball.
Smith and his co-conspirators connected with players through texts, social media, and cell phone calls to offer bribes between $10,000 and $30,000. Prosecutors said Smith texted a player at halftime of a game in March 2024, urging him to turn a tie game into a blowout so Smith’s bets could win.
“Today’s sentencing sends a clear message: Those who exploit professional and collegiate athletes for personal gain will be held accountable,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia.
“This conduct does more than harm individual athletes. It undermines the integrity of sports and the trust placed in fair competition. The FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to pursue those who seek to manipulate that trust for their own financial benefit and ensure they are held responsible for their actions.”
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A bigger scheme
Smith was part of a betting scandal that involved 39 players from more than 17 NCAA teams and nearly 30 games as late as January 2025. The scheme began with the betting group fixing professional Chinese basketball games in 2023, allegedly aided by former NBA player Antonio Blackney, before moving to college basketball.
Schools named in the federal indictment include Nicholls State, Tulane, Northwestern State, Saint Louis, LaSalle, Fordham, Buffalo, DePaul, Robert Morris, Southern Miss, North Carolina A&T, Kennesaw State, Coppin State, New Orleans, Abilene Christian, Eastern Michigan, and Alabama State.
Smith was the first individual indicted to plead guilty earlier this year. The betting scheme resulted in over $3 million in wagers and $1.1 million in fraudulent winnings for the betting group, prosecutors said.
