Roderick Winkler, 32, of Little Rock, Arkansas, entered a guilty plea on October 26 before U.S. District Judge Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro in Philadelphia to bribery in sporting contests, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and wire fraud, U.S. Attorney David Metcalf announced. Winkler had been charged by indictment in January of this year.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

According to court filings cited by prosecutors, the wider scheme ran from about September 2022 to February 2025. After profiting from fixed games in the Chinese Basketball Association, the group turned to NCAA Division I men's basketball during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons.

Bribes of $10,000 to $30,000 a game

Prosecutors say Winkler acted as a 'fixer' with a leadership role: recruiting, managing and paying players to underperform so their teams failed to cover the point spread, while the group placed large wagers against those teams through sportsbooks. Fixers contacted players in person and by social media, text and phone, usually offering $10,000 to $30,000 per game.

The fixers generally targeted players on underdog teams, and players for whom a bribe would meaningfully supplement or exceed their legitimate Name-Image-Likeness earnings, prosecutors said. Many players accepted, according to the Justice Department. In total, the scheme involved more than 39 players on over 17 NCAA Division I teams, more than 29 games fixed or attempted, more than $3 million in fraudulent wagers, and more than $1.1 million in losses to sportsbooks across the country.

Source: Athletic Business, reporting the U.S. Attorney's announcement

39+players involved, prosecutors say
17+NCAA Division I teams
$3M+in fraudulent wagers
45 yearsmaximum sentence Winkler faces

Winkler is scheduled to be sentenced on February 8 and faces a maximum possible term of 45 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine. The case was investigated by FBI Philadelphia, with assistance from FBI New York and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Louis D. Lappen and Jerome M. Maiatico.