NCAA Point-Shaving ‘Fixer’ Jalen Smith Sentenced To 6 Years In Federal Prison In Philadelphia Case

PHILADELPHIA — A former basketball trainer who helped recruit college players to throw games for gamblers was sentenced Tuesday, Oct. 13, to six years in federal prison, the first sentence handed down in a sprawling NCAA point-shaving case brought in Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Jalen Smith, 30, of Charlotte, North Carolina, was sentenced to 72 months by U.S. District Judge Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The judge also ordered three years of supervised release, about $1.1 million in restitution and forfeiture of $75,000, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, as reported by Pennsylvania Courts Daily.

The Scheme

Prosecutors said Smith played a “central role” in fixing NCAA Division I men’s basketball games during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, the Associated Press reported. According to prosecutors, he used his connections in the basketball world to recruit players, mostly from smaller schools, and offered them payments to deliberately underperform so bettors could wager against their teams.

Smith pleaded guilty earlier this year to bribery and wire fraud charges, the Inquirer reported. His sentence also covered a separate firearms offense, according to federal prosecutors.

Prosecutors have said the broader scheme began in 2022 with bribes to a former NBA player playing professionally in China, and that its organizers then brought the same approach to college games. Smith was not involved in the China portion of the case, prosecutors said, according to the Inquirer.

In Court

Smith apologized at the hearing, telling the court he had been drawn in by the promise of easy money. “I was used as a pawn in this scheme,” he said, according to the Inquirer, but added, “My decisions have consequences, and I accept all of them.”

Federal prosecutors had asked for a sentence of up to 87 months, InGame reported. The 72-month sentence falls below that recommendation but within the range allowed under federal guidelines. Smith’s defense had argued that he was recruited into the scheme by others and was not its originator.

What Comes Next

Other defendants charged in the case have not yet been sentenced. The case has drawn national attention for its scope, reaching players at multiple Division I programs across the country.

Smith has pleaded guilty and been sentenced. Other defendants in the case who have not been convicted are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Sources: The Philadelphia Inquirer; Associated Press; Pennsylvania Courts Daily; InGame.