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.
Prosecutors allege that during the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 NCAA men’s basketball seasons, fixers recruited NCAA players who helped ensure the “point-shaving scheme” earned them winning bets.
Numerous games, during several seasons involving 39 players on more than 17 different NCAA Division I men’s basketball teams are being called into question based on the federal investigation.
The indictment unsealed in Philadelphia named 20 defendants, though U.S. Attorney David Metcalf said 26 people in total “perpetrated a transnational criminal scheme to fix NCAA Division I men’s basketball games as well as professional Chinese Basketball Association games.”
The prosecutor said “the integrity of sport itself and everything that sports represent to us- hard work, determination and fairness” was threatened by these defendants.
“We allege an extensive international criminal conspiracy of NCAA players, alumni and professional bettors who fixed gains across the country and poisoned the American spirit of competition for monetary gain,” Metcalf told reporters on Thursday.
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 the indictment.
Among the former DePaul players named in federal charges are Jalen Terry, Da’Sean Nelson, and Micawber Etienne.
In a statement, DePaul University said it “is deeply disappointed that former student-athletes were named in the indictment for alleged gambling activities.
The university noted that “while the broader FBI investigation runs through the 2024-25 season, the allegations related to former student-athletes at DePaul are from the 2023-24 season.”
“No current student-athletes were members of the 2023-2024 team,” the university said.
DePaul said in its statement that it “participates in comprehensive sports wagering monitoring through Integrity Compliance 360 (IC360), the integrity services provider for BIG EAST Conference competitions.”
“In addition, DePaul maintains a robust compliance education program and annually engages EPIC Risk Management, the NCAA’s official sports gambling education partner, to provide independent, accredited training for student-athletes, coaches, and staff,” the university said. “We will continue to evaluate and strengthen our education, monitoring, and compliance efforts to protect the integrity of competition and the well-being of our student-athletes.”
The university plans to cooperate fully with any investigation.
Federal officials are announcing the charges on Thursday.
Check back for more on this developing story.
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