Coach Roderick Winkler and former University of Southern Mississippi player Arlando Arnold pleaded guilty in an NCAA basketball bribery case aimed at rigging point-spread bets. Winkler appeared before U.S. District Judge Nitza Quiñones Alejandro on October 26 and pleaded guilty to several serious charges, including bribery in sporting contests.
Winkler, 32, lived in Little Rock, Arkansas, and coached AAU youth basketball and high school basketball, according to court documents. Prosecutors say that starting in the 2023–24 season, he and others recruited players and offered them bribes. The targets were players for whom the money was comparable to or greater than name, image and likeness (NIL) payments. The bets were that underdog teams would not cover the spread.
Arnold, a guard for Southern Miss in the 2023–24 season, agreed to plead guilty to bribery in sporting contests and conspiracy. He averaged 6.2 points and 2.4 assists per game. Prosecutors allege that during that season he helped fix two games and brought an accomplice into a third.
The syndicate bet on two games involving Arnold: a 70:73 loss to South Alabama and a 61:77 loss to Louisiana. The third incident was a game between the University of New Orleans and Lamar, to which, according to prosecutors, Arnold helped bring guard Carlos Hart. Across the three games, the organizers could have won $673,885, but in one game the Southern Miss spread did not hold, and the payout came to $269,766.
In total, according to prosecutors in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the scheme involved more than 39 players from over 17 Division I NCAA teams and more than 29 games. Fraudulent bets exceeded $3 million, and losses for bookmakers nationwide topped $1.1 million.
Winkler faces up to 45 years in prison, and sentencing is set for February 8, 2027. Arnold faces up to five years, and his sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 29, 2027.
Earlier, on October 14, coach Jalen Smith was sentenced to 72 months in prison. He was the first person convicted in the case.
