Hennen, 41, who goes by “Sugar Shane,” admitted to bribery in sporting contests, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and three counts of wire fraud in the Philadelphia case. He also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering in a separate case tied to bets involving former NBA players Terry Rozier and Damon Jones.

The Chinese and NCAA scheme began in September 2022, according to court records. Prosecutors said Hennen placed bets and arranged for others to wager heavily against teams whose players had been bribed to underperform. During the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, fixers allegedly recruited players to influence game outcomes, often by shaving points so bets against the spread would win.

More than 39 players on at least 17 NCAA Division I men’s teams fixed or attempted to fix more than 29 games, court records say. The wagers exceeded $3 million, and sportsbooks across the country lost more than $1.1 million, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

The New York case involved wagers placed through online sportsbooks and retail betting outlets using confidential team information, prosecutors said. Hennen and others concealed that information was the basis for the bets. The investigation into the NBA-related charges was conducted by the FBI in New York and the New York Police Department.

Hennen is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 27 in Philadelphia. He faces a possible maximum of 85 years in prison in that case and up to 40 years in the New York case; those are statutory maximums, and the sentences will be determined by the courts. The cases underscore the risks that illicit betting and efforts to manipulate play pose to the credibility of college and professional sports, as legal sports wagering has become widely available.