North Carolina natives among 26 charged in alleged college basketball game-fixing scheme

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- A sprawling betting scheme to rig NCAA and Chinese Basketball Association games ensnared 26 people, including more than a dozen college basketball players who tried to fix games as recently as last season, federal prosecutors said Thursday.

ABC11's Travon Miles looked into the indictments and saw that some of the men involved in the alleged scheme played college basketball in North Carolina.

The four NC men, including a former North Carolina A&T men's basketball player, are charged in connection with a scheme to fix various basketball games that occurred in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons.

According to an indictment unsealed in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on Thursday, fixers and players schemed to shave points to cash in on bets on various gaming markets.

Camian Shell, a former North Carolina A&T player from Winston Salem, Elijah Gray, a Fordham player from Charlotte, and Dyquavion Short, a New Orleans player from Greenville, allegedly underperformed in games, while fixers - such as Charlotte native Jalen Smith, bribed athletes and committed wire fraud, the indictment says.

In total, 20 players from 17 different schools are implicated in the indictment.

North Carolina A&T - one of 17 Division I programs implicated in the scheme sent a statement to ABC11:

"North Carolina A&T State University is aware of the indictment unsealed today in federal court in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania against one of its former men's basketball players, Camian Shell. North Carolina A&T is not alleged to have been involved in any violations concerning Mr. Shell or any other student-athlete, nor is the NCAA enforcement staff seeking penalties for North Carolina A&T pertaining to any student-athlete's conduct. A&T has and will continue to comply with all NCAA rules and policies, embracing the principles of competitive excellence, sportsmanship, and ethical conduct."

ABC11 also reached out to Shell and his current school, Delaware State University - we have not heard back.