One current and two former Eastern Michigan University men's basketball players were named as defendants in a federal indictment alleging game manipulation and point shaving.
Carlos Hart, a current EMU student-athlete and Eagles basketball player, was charged with bribery in sporting contests and conspiracy to commit wire fraud in 2024, showed the indictment. Jalen Terry and Da'Sean Nelson, two former EMU men's basketball players, were also charged with bribery in sporting contests and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
"Eastern Michigan University has been made aware of a federal indictment involving two former men’s basketball student‑athletes who left the university last year, as well as one current student‑athlete," said Greg Steiner in a written statement to The Eastern Echo. Steiner is the senior associate athletics director for external affairs at EMU. "The alleged conduct attributed to the current student‑athlete in the indictment occurred prior to his enrollment at Eastern Michigan University, while he was attending another institution. Eastern was not aware of any allegations of this nature during the recruitment process."
The current student athlete has been immediately suspended from all team activities at EMU pending the outcome of the case, Steiner said. The university has also launched its own student conduct process, too, he said.
"The conduct described in the indictment stands in direct opposition to the values and expectations of Eastern Michigan University Athletics," Steiner said.
26 people, including 20 college basketball players and six alleged fixers, were charged by federal prosecutors. The indictment alleges a transnational sports bribing conspiracy that spanned three years and involved NCAA Division I men's basketball and professional Chinese Basketball Association games, said David Metcalf, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, at a press conference in Philadelphia, Jan. 15, 2026.
The alleged scheme originated in China in 2022 and involved Shane Hennen and Marves Fairley, two men previously indicted in October 2025 for charges involving an NBA gambling scheme, as well as former Chicago Bulls NBA player Antonio Blakeney, who previously played basketball for Louisiana State University, Metcalf said.
Prosecutors say these men brought the alleged scheme to the US, where they enlisted college alumni, sports recruiters and other leaders. Prosecutors allege that these individuals recruited college basketball players on NCAA Division I teams to fix games by bribing players $10,000-30,000 per game to underperform when a team was favored to lose by a certain number of points, Metcalf said. Prosecutors say involved players would attempt to lose a game by a greater number of points than expected, to fix sports betting, Metcalf said. Metcalf called it a massive sports betting scheme, with fixers allegedly wagering millions of dollars on manipulated games.
Prosecutors say the alleged scheme involved more than 39 players on at least 17 Division I teams. The indictment alleges 29 games were fixed or attempted to be fixed during the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 seasons, including two 2024 games involving EMU.
Terry, ranked No. 2 in the Mid-American Conference while playing for the Eagles, and Nelson, ranked No. 4 in the MAC while at EMU, were accused of fixing two EMU basketball games, including a Nov. 21, 2024, game played against Oakland University and a Dec. 21, 2024, game played against Wright State University, said the indictment. Terry and Nelson are also accused of fixing games while playing for DePaul University, showed the indictment.
Hart, a redshirt senior ranked No. 2 in player statistics at EMU, arrived at the university during the 2025-26 academic year as an incoming transfer student. At EMU, Hart has started 18 games, shooting 40.8% from the field and averaging 13.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Hart is accused of point-shaving a March 11, 2024, game while playing for the University of New Orleans. He is not alleged to have been involved in game fixing while playing for EMU.
"At this stage, these are just allegations," Metcalf said at the press conference. "Every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt."
