Jalen Smith of Charlotte, North Carolina, pleaded guilty Monday to wire fraud and bribery charges in federal court in Philadelphia, becoming the first of 26 people charged in a sprawling NCAA basketball point-shaving scheme to formally enter a guilty plea.

Smith, who trained basketball players for professional scouting combines, used his connections with players to help recruit them into the betting scheme. Federal prosecutors say he was active in fixing games during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, placing bets and recruiting players with promises of large payments in exchange for purposefully underperforming during games.

The scheme involved more than 39 players across more than 17 NCAA Division I men's basketball teams, who rigged or attempted to rig more than 29 games, according to prosecutors. The operation began with two games in the Chinese Basketball Association in 2023 before expanding to include NCAA games as recently as January 2025. Schools targeted by the scheme included Tulane University and DePaul University, with rigged games spanning major conferences and some playoff games.

Players typically received payments ranging from $10,000 to $30,000 per game and often recruited teammates to cooperate by playing poorly, sitting out, or keeping the ball away from players not involved in the scheme. The fixers would then bet against the players' teams, defrauding sportsbooks and other bettors. Smith personally delivered cash payments to players, including traveling to Louisiana to arrange delivery of approximately $32,000 to two charged players.

The charges against Smith and 25 others were unsealed in January. In addition to fixers like Smith who recruited players and placed bets, the charges targeted 17 former college basketball players and four players who were active with their teams this season. The guilty plea comes one week before the start of March Madness, during which billions of dollars are wagered legally and illegally on the 64-team tournament.