College Hoops Betting Fixer Sentenced To Six Years

Article By Charlie Mullan Last Updated: Oct 16^th, 2026 · 2 min read

College Hoops Betting Fixer Sentenced To Six Years

Jalen Smith, 30, has been sentenced to six years in federal prison for his role in a bribery and point-shaving scheme that fixed NCAA Division I men's basketball games, prosecutors in Pennsylvania announced on October 13.

It is the first penalty handed down in a sprawling investigation into a network of professional gamblers and college players accused of profiting from manipulated games.

Prosecutors said Smith played a central role in fixing games during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 NCAA Division I basketball seasons, recruiting players with the promise of large payments to deliberately underperform so that sports bettors could wager against their teams and cover the point spread. U.S. District Judge Nitza I.

Quinones Alejandro ordered Smith to serve 72 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, pay roughly $1.1 million in restitution and forfeit $75,000.

Part Of A Wider Integrity Crackdown

According to prosecutors, the point-shaving scheme involved more than 39 players from at least 17 Division I programs, including DePaul University, the State University of New York at Buffalo and Tulane University, and attempted to influence roughly 29 games.

Bribe offers typically ranged from $10,000 to $30,000 per game, and the scheme generated more than $3 million in fraudulent wagers, according to the Department of Justice.

Smith pleaded guilty earlier this year to bribery and wire fraud charges, along with a separate firearms offense. U.S. Attorney David Metcalf said the case shows prosecutors will not let corruption of athletic competition go unanswered, while the FBI's Philadelphia field office said the sentencing sends a message to those who exploit college athletes for financial gain.

The case is one of several recent betting-integrity actions targeting NCAA sports, following the suspension and legal dispute involving a Texas Tech player over betting rules.

More Trials Still To Come

Smith's sentencing is the first concrete outcome from an investigation that named at least 26 other defendants, with additional trials now getting underway as prosecutors work through the rest of the case.

The scheme is alleged to have first targeted Chinese Basketball Association games between roughly September 2022 and February 2025 before co-schemers turned their attention to NCAA men's basketball during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons.

FBI Philadelphia Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs said the conduct does more than harm individual athletes, arguing that it undermines the integrity of sports and the trust placed in fair competition, and that the bureau and its law enforcement partners will keep pursuing those who try to manipulate that trust for financial gain.