Las Vegas Man Faces Charges in Third Sports Betting and Rigging Scandal
A las Vegas man is at the center of a widening federal inquiry into sports betting fraud, facing charges in connection with a scheme to rig games across both NCAA basketball and the Chinese Basketball Association. Federal prosecutors announced charges against 20 individuals on Thursday,including 15 former NCAA basketball players,alleging a coordinated effort to manipulate game outcomes for illicit betting gains.
Shane Hennen, identified as a “high-stake sports gambler, social media influencer, and sports handicapper,” is a key figure in the indictment. Prosecutors allege Hennen presented himself as an expert offering betting advice while secretly orchestrating a scheme to fix games.
One instance detailed in the indictment occurred on March 6, 2023, when the Guangdong Southern tigers played against the Dragons. Sportsbooks favored Guangdong to win by approximately 11.5 points. Prior to the game, Hennen placed substantial bets on Guangdong to cover the spread. Blakeney, typically the league’s leading scorer with an average of over 32 points per game, scored only 11 points, allowing guangdong to win 127-96 and “covering the spreads and the fixers won most of their bets.”
A similar incident allegedly took place on March 15, 2023, where Hennen recruited another player to accept a bribe to ensure the opposing team covered the spread after Blakeney informed him he would not be playing. Text messages reveal Hennen discussing winning bets and agreeing to pay “20k [$20,000] to [the] player” who assisted in the scheme. In one message, Hennen reportedly quipped to another associate: “Nothing guaranteed in this world but death, taxes, and Chinese basketball.”
The indictment further alleges that Hennen extended the scheme to U.S. college basketball, recruiting NCAA players with the assistance of Blakeney, offering bribes in exchange for influencing game outcomes. To conceal their activities and maximize betting opportunities, the group allegedly utilized “straw” or “proxy” bettors to place wagers on the fixed games using funds provided by the fixers.
In total, the fixers are accused of engaging in a point-shaving scheme involving over 39 players across more than 17 different NCAA Division I men’s basketball teams, attempting to fix more than 29 games. The schools implicated include: Nicholls State University, Tulane University, Northwestern State University, St. Louis University, La Salle University, Fordham University, State university of New York at Buffalo, DePaul University, Robert Morris University, University of Southern Mississippi, North Carolina A&T State University, Coppin State University, University of New Orleans, Abilene Christian University, Eastern Michigan, and Alabama State University.
Hennen faces five federal charges: three counts of wire fraud, one count of bribery in sporting contests, and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison for the bribery charge and up to 20 years for each wire fraud count.
This is not Hennen’s first encounter with the law regarding sports gambling. In October, FBI Director Kash Patel announced the arrest of over 30 individuals, including Hennen, as part of a probe into rigged betting and money laundering. Investigators alleged Hennen provided “cheating technology” used in illegal poker games, profiting from the illicit activity. He was also accused of leveraging a “network of associates” and non-public data to place fraudulent wagers, potentially facing another 20 years in prison for wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy if convicted in that case. Images of the alleged “cheating technology” were released by the U.S. Department of Justice, Eastern District of New York.
Further compounding the legal challenges, Hennen was arrested in January at Harry Reid International Airport while attempting to board a flight to Panama, allegedly en route to Colombia for “purportedly seek[ing] dental treatment.” This arrest stemmed from another illegal betting scheme involving former NBA player Jontay Porter, who agreed to withdraw from games early to enable fraudulent wagers. Porter pleaded guilty to wire fraud in December and has been banned for life from the NBA.
The unfolding investigation highlights the growing threat of sports betting manipulation and the lengths to which individuals will go to exploit the system for financial gain.
