Two More Plead Guilty In NCAA Point-Shaving Case

Winkler, of Little Rock, Arkansas, pleaded guilty before US District Judge Nitza I. Quinones Alejandro to bribery in sporting contests, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud. He was charged by indictment in January.

Prosecutors say he was a fixer who worked with others to recruit and bribe NCAA Division I players to underperform and help their teams fail to cover the point spread during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. He then helped arrange large bets through sportsbooks against the teams whose players had been bribed.

Payments to players usually ranged from $10,000 to $30,000 per game, according to the release, which says the fixers targeted players for whom the money would meaningfully supplement or exceed their name, image and likeness income. Winkler faces up to 45 years in prison and is due to be sentenced on February 8.

Arnold was one of 20 people named in the indictment unsealed in January, which charged him with wire fraud, aiding and abetting, bribery in sporting contests and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, as the Sun Herald reported.

That indictment said he was recruited around February 2024 with two other Southern Miss players to underperform in a game against South Alabama, and that he later helped influence a game against Louisiana. It also said he helped recruit another player into the scheme.

Reports of the plea say Arnold's sentencing is set for March 29, 2027, and that the bribery charge carries a maximum of five years in prison, according to iGaming House. Southern Miss's athletic director said in January that the school was disappointed and that the integrity of the game matters to anyone who loves college sports.

According to the Justice Department, the overall scheme to influence games in the Chinese Basketball Association and in NCAA men's basketball ran from about September 2022 to February 2025. After co-schemers profited on fixed Chinese games, they turned to NCAA games.

In total, prosecutors say more than 39 players on over 17 Division I teams fixed or tried to fix more than 29 games, and more than $3 million in fraudulent wagers were placed.

Jalen Smith, a trainer described as a leader of the scheme, became the first defendant sentenced when a judge gave him 72 months in prison on October 13, along with about $1.1 million in restitution and $75,000 in forfeiture, according to the US Attorney's Office.

The case shows how point-shaving schemes work against the spread rather than the final result, which makes them harder for fans to spot. Bribed players can still win a game while the bet pays out.

The pleas also keep the focus on how legal sportsbooks and regulators flag unusual betting patterns. Our US news page follows the case and the wider push to protect college sport from betting-related fixing.