Two defendants have entered guilty pleas in a college basketball point-shaving case involving more than 39 players, 17 NCAA Division I men’s teams and over 29 games. The pleas follow the 72-month prison sentence handed to trainer Jalen Smith on 14 October, the first defendant to be sentenced in the case.
Roderick Winkler, 32, pleaded guilty on Monday before US District Judge Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro to several felony charges, including bribery in sporting contests. Former University of Southern Mississippi guard Arlando “Mo” Arnold has agreed to plead guilty to bribery in sporting contests and aiding and abetting the scheme.
Players recruited and games targeted
Winkler, a Little Rock, Arkansas, resident who worked as an AAU and high school basketball coach and trainer, joined others in recruiting NCAA players and offering bribes from the 2023-24 season. Prosecutors allege the group targeted players on underdog teams and sought to get them to underperform so their teams would not cover the spread.
The fixers focused on players for whom bribes could supplement or exceed legitimate Name-Image-Likeness compensation. In total, prosecutors say, more than 39 players on over 17 teams fixed or attempted to fix more than 29 games. The scheme generated more than $3 million in fraudulent wagers and caused sportsbooks across the country more than $1.1 million in losses.
Winkler was involved in schemes involving about a dozen players, including games featuring Nicholls State, Tulane, St. Louis, Buffalo, North Carolina A&T and Robert Morris. In March 2024, he and others recruited Carlos Hart, a University of New Orleans guard, to take part in a game against Lamar. Hart and a teammate underperformed, producing a six-figure win for the syndicate.
Arnold, who averaged 6.2 points and 2.4 assists per game as a fifth-year senior in 2023-24, allegedly helped fix two Southern Miss games and recruited a co-conspirator for a third. The fixed games were a 73-70 loss to South Alabama and a 77-61 defeat to Louisiana. Prosecutors also allege Arnold helped recruit Hart for the Lamar game.
The group could have won $673,885 from the three games but failed to beat the spread in one Southern Miss matchup. Its total winnings were $269,766, prosecutors say.
“This news is disappointing to everyone associated with Southern Miss Athletics,” Athletic Director Jeremy McClain said in January. “Integrity of the game is important to anyone who loves college sports.”
Sentencing dates
Winkler faces a maximum sentence of 45 years in prison and is due to be sentenced on 8 February 2027. Arnold faces a statutory maximum of five years’ imprisonment on the bribery charge and is scheduled for sentencing on 29 March 2027.
