Last month, a little-known sports gambler who calls himself the “best that ever did it” attempted to board a flight from Las Vegas to Colombia, connecting through Panama, with a one-way ticket. Shane Hennen soon found himself in an upright and locked position. Federal agents who arrested him say he was carrying multiple cellphones, nearly $10,000 in cash and an alibi he offered “unprompted”: He was traveling to Colombia for dental treatment.
Authorities say Hennen helped orchestrate what appears to be one of the most pervasive point-shaving scandals in North American sports history.
The scandal, which appears to touch both pro and college basketball, has already generated a few headlines, but the sports world has not come to grips with just how widespread this scheme could be. In a court filing last month, the office of acting U.S. Attorney Carolyn Pokorny of the Eastern District of New York vouched for “substantial evidence” that Hennen was involved in “illicit financial transactions and fraudulent sports wagers totaling millions of dollars,” resulting “in potentially millions of dollars’ worth of illicit profits and money-laundering transactions.”
The links from Hennen to game fixing begin with former Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter. Porter admitted to taking himself out of games in 2024 so gamblers could win prop bets on his performances. He pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy to commit wire fraud in July 2024 and is awaiting sentencing; the NBA banned him for life. Terry Rozier, a far more prominent NBA player currently with the Miami Heat, is under federal investigation for his performance in a 2023 game while a member of the Charlotte Hornets—his case is tied to Porter’s, three independent sources familiar with the probes tell . The NBA said it investigated Rozier and did not find any violations, and the league is cooperating with the Eastern District. Rozier has not been charged with a crime.
The scheme that ensnared Porter was fairly simple: He amassed significant gambling debts, and he repaid them by sabotaging his own performance. Porter’s salary at the time was around $400,000. Sources familiar with elements of the federal and NCAA inquiries tell SIthat authorities are investigating potential links between the same gambling ring and wagering on at least nine college games across last season and this season. Investigators have flagged unusual wagering on games involving at least five college teams—and they are prepared for that number to increase.
The Justice Department alleges Hennen had five co-conspirators just for the Porter scheme. Only four have been publicly identified. Three—Timothy McCormack, Mahmud Mollah and Long Phi “Bruce” Pham—pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy. A grand jury indicted the fourth, Ammar Awawdeh, for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery. The Justice Department has said Hennen will be charged with wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering, but delayed officially charging him while he negotiates a plea.
After Hennen was arrested at the Vegas airport, the U.S. Attorney’s office wrote that he was trying to flee the country before a “Jan. 15 deadline.” The publicly available letter, which has portions redacted, did not specify a reason for the deadline. According to a filing signed by Hennen and an attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s office, the two sides are negotiating a plea deal. If they reach one, and it includes a promise from Hennen to testify truthfully, we might learn the full scope of the game-fixing ring.
Hennen’s attorney, Todd Leventhal, tells SI, “It’s still early [in the case]. We’re reviewing everything. The government paints a very vivid picture, and I think that picture will have a hard time holding up at trial.”
The U.S. Attorney’s office letter says, “the proof of his guilt is overwhelming,” and includes “witnesses, phone records, financial records and betting records.” The government has not released most of that evidence.
The government says “numerous” Hennen schemes were “fraudulent.”
Through independent reporting, court records and other publicly available information, SI set out to explain how such an audacious—and reckless—scheme could unfold by following Shane Hennen.