(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – Information is displayed during a news conference to announce charges against several people including former college basketball players, in what prosecutors called a betting scheme to rig NCAA and Chinese Basketball Association games, Jan. 15, 2026 in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Tassanee Vejpongsa, File)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Philadelphia, PA) Prosecutors in Pennsylvania recently announced that a man who involved in rigging college basketball games has been sentenced to six years in jail.

Thirty-year-old Jalen Smith of Charlotte, North Carolina received this sentence and was involved in fixing games during the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 NCAA seasons.

This marks the first penalty in an investigation in which authorities said uncovered a network of players and gamblers who made a profit from fixed games.

Smith recruited players so they could underperform in exchange for payment, which allowed bettors to profit by wagering against their teams.

Players from colleges like Robert Morris University had players who were accused of participating in this scheme.

The scheme affected almost 30 games and resulted in more than $3 million in fraudulent wagers.

Smith must also pay a restitution amount of $1.1 million.