An indictment unsealed Thursday by the Eastern Philadelphia District Court announced criminal charges against 26 defendants tied to a three-year transnational sports betting bribery scheme that affected both NCAA Division I men’s basketball and professional Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) games. Named among the 17 NCAA programs, 39 college players and 29 games implicated in the indictment are two former members of the Fordham University men’s basketball team: Elijah Gray and a second unnamed player referred to in the indictment only as “Person #4.”
Per the indictment, “in or about late February 2024,” Jalen Smith, a basketball trainer in North Carolina, contacted Gray through social media and offered him “approximately $10,000 or $15,000” to ensure Fordham did not cover the listed point spread (+3.5 points against the Rams) in their upcoming Feb. 23, 2024 contest against the Duquesne University Dukes.
According to text messages unsealed in the indictment, Smith’s incentive in doing so lay with the fact that he and his associates had placed $195,000 worth of wagers across various sportsbooks on the Rams not to cover the +3.5 spread against them.
Following this initial bit of contact, Smith and two other men named in the indictment as “fixers” (Marves Fairley and Antonio Blakeney) subsequently organized a FaceTime video call with Gray, in which they additionally tasked Gray with recruiting a second Fordham player to underperform against Duquesne.
After Gray’s successful recruitment of this second Fordham player (the aforementioned “Person #4”), Gray and “Person #4” had a second FaceTime call with Smith about point shaving and the “bribe payments” they would receive if the scheme was successful, per the indictment.
During the game itself, Gray scored only three points off 1-4 shooting despite his 2023-24 season average being 8.4 points per game. Gray also had three turnovers in the game, an amount double his average of 1.5 turnovers per game for the 2023-24 season.
“Person #4” is likewise noted in the indictment to have underperformed in the game compared to their respective season average in points.
However, despite these orchestrated efforts to underperform, Fordham ultimately won the game with a final score of 79 to 67.
Following his sophomore year at Fordham, Gray spent his junior year at Temple University before transferring again to the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison). Gray was dismissed from the UW-Madison men’s basketball team in October, 2025, “related to events preceding his enrollment at UW-Madison.”
As reported by Sports Illustrated, Gray pleaded guilty to one count of bribery in sporting contests on Dec. 23. His sentencing is tentatively scheduled for March 18.
At a press conference Thursday morning, United States Attorney David Metcalf announced the charges against all 26 defendants.
“We allege an extensive international criminal conspiracy of NCAA players, alumni, and professional bettors who fixed games across the country and poisoned the American spirit of competition for monetary gain,” Metcalf said. “At this stage, these are just allegations. Every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”
He was joined by (FBI) Deputy Director Andrew Bailey and FBI Philadelphia Special Agent in Charge Wayne Jacobs. Bailey emphasized the FBI’s efforts in the investigation, adding that the FBI is committed to protecting the American people.
“When individuals choose to manipulate fair competition, they do more than commit financial crimes. They erode confidence in institutions that bring Americans together,” Bailey said. “The FBI exists to protect that trust and when it is abused, we act to the honest athletes, coaches and officials who compete with integrity every day.”
At the press conference, Metcalf asked anyone with information about the scheme to inform the FBI as they continue to investigate.
The Ram reached out to Fordham University for a comment on this topic but has not yet received a response.
*Updated on Jan. 15 at 10:15 p.m.
