‘Sugar Shane’ Hennen Pleads Guilty in Massive NBA, NCAA Betting Scandals
High-stakes gambler Shane “Sugar Shane” Hennen, a central figure in three major U.S. gambling scandals, has pleaded guilty to bribery and fraud charges related to insider betting on rigged basketball games. His guilty plea Wednesday (Oct. 14) came a day after co-defendant Jalen Smith, 30, was sente…
High-stakes gambler Shane “Sugar Shane” Hennen, a central figure in three major U.S. gambling scandals, has pleaded guilty to bribery and fraud charges related to insider betting on rigged basketball games. Shane “Sugar Shane” Hennen has now pleaded guilty in three separate gambling scandals involving NBA betting, college basketball point-shaving, and rigged poker games. (Image: Shane Hennen/Instagram) His guilty plea Wednesday (Oct. 14) came a day after co-defendant Jalen Smith, 30, was sentenced to six years in federal prison for his role in the sprawling college basketball point-shaving conspiracy. Hennen, 41, entered the pleas in federal court in Philadelphia, admitting his part in a scheme involving the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and NCAA Division I basketball, as well as a separate conspiracy to exploit confidential information from NBA players and coaches. The Las Vegas-based gambler has already pleaded guilty to helping rig Mafia-backed high-stakes poker games, meaning he has now admitted wrongdoing in all three prosecutions. ‘Death, Taxes, and Chinese Basketball’ According to federal prosecutors, Hennen and fellow professional gambler Marves Fairley recruited former NBA player Antonio Blakeney, then playing for China’s Jiangsu Dragons, to deliberately underperform so gamblers could profit by betting against the team. In one March 2023 game, Blakeney scored just 11 points against a season average of more than 32, as the Dragons lost by 31. Prosecutors say the conspirators placed nearly $200,000 on the game, including large bets through Rivers Casino in Philadelphia. “Nothing guaranteed in this world but death, taxes, and Chinese basketball,” Hennen messaged an accomplice, according to the indictment. The group then transferred their model to college basketball, recruiting players who were typically offered $10,000 to $30,000 to ensure their teams failed to cover point spreads. In all, prosecutors say more than 39 players across at least 17 NCAA teams were involved in attempts to manipulate more than 29 games during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. More than $3 million was wagered fraudulently, causing sportsbooks losses exceeding $1.1 million. Fingers in Pies Hennen also admitted participating in a separate operation that used nonpublic injury and lineup information to place bets on NBA games. Prosecutors have linked that scheme to former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter, banned from the NBA for life, and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, who is charged separately. Bettors allegedly knew in advance when certain players would leave games early, allowing them to profit from wagers that the players would fall short of performance targets. Hennen pleaded guilty to bribery in sporting contests, conspiracy, and three counts of wire fraud in the CBA/NCAA case, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering in the NBA case. The maximum penalties in the two cases total 125 years in prison, although the actual term is likely to be considerably lower. Sentencing in Philadelphia is scheduled for Feb. 25, 2027. The post ‘Sugar Shane’ Hennen Pleads Guilty in Massive NBA, NCAA Betting Scandals appeared first on Casino.org.