Shane Hennen, a central individual involved in three federal investigations related to basketball gambling, pleaded guilty on July 28, 2026, to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection to rigged high-stakes poker games. The plea was entered in a Brooklyn courtroom, with sentencing scheduled for January 21, 2027. Hennen agreed to forfeit approximately $700,000 as part of his plea arrangement and faces up to 20 years in prison. His guilty plea currently only covers the poker fraud case, with the other two cases related to NBA and college basketball gambling still unresolved.

Prosecutors have linked Hennen to all three probes, highlighting his involvement in multiple illicit activities. These include manipulating poker matches, placing bets on NBA players like Terry Rozier and Jontay Porter using inside information, and recruiting college and Chinese Basketball Association players to engage in point shaving to fix games. His attorney, Todd Leventhal, indicated that charges from the NBA gambling investigation will be transferred to the Eastern District of Pennsylvania for consolidation with the college basketball case.

The rigged poker games, according to prosecutors, involved connections to organized crime families and utilized professional athletes such as Damon Jones and Chauncey Billups as "face cards" to legitimize the games and attract high-stakes players. Jones pleaded guilty earlier in April, while Billups remains a defendant resisting plea deals and pushing for a trial. The trial, originally set for November 2026, has been requested to be delayed to early 2027 due to prosecutorial staffing conflicts, despite objections from Billups’s defense.

Hennen acknowledged awareness of rigged poker matches held on Long Island and the Hamptons but claimed his participation was limited to games in Manhattan at 80 Washington Place. The ongoing legal battles surrounding these intertwined sports gambling and fraud cases continue to draw attention for their involvement of notable athletes and organized crime elements. As Hennen moves forward with sentencing and other cases remain unsettled, these investigations highlight the complex intersection of sports, gambling, and criminal activity.