Former Bulldogs basketball manager charged. How Fresno State gambling scandal unfolded
A former Fresno State basketball manager and a Draft Kings employee were arrested recently on felony charges in connection with a gambling scheme involving a Bulldogs’ basketball player accused of playing poorly on purpose to win proposition bets, according to a report from ESPN.
As part of the scheme, former Bulldogs guard Mykell Robinson manipulated his performance to cash bets when wagering on the ‘under’ on certain player propositions, such as total points, rebounds, assists and made 3-point baskets in a 2024-25 game at Colorado State.
Samuel Silverman was arrested in Las Vegas and charged with the commission of a fraudulent act in a gaming establishment and conspiracy to cheat at a gambling game.
The Class C felonies carry penalties of one to five years in prison and fines.
Matthew J. Martin, a former Draft Kings employee and roommate of Silverman, was implicated in the scheme, according to the ESPN report. Stephen Vazquez, a former Fresno State guard, also was involved in facilitating the wagers on Robinson in the game at Colorado State.
Several additional suspects remain outstanding and criminal charges are being actively pursued, the Nevada Gaming and Control Board said June 11, at the conclusion of its investigation into the case.
Silverman, who was a manager for the Bulldogs in the 2022-23 season, pleaded not guilty, according to ESPN.
Vazquez, a non-scholarship walk on, was a sophomore during that 2022-23 season. Robinson joined the team the following year, and roomed with Vazquez.
Martin placed the bets on Robinson’s performance that were flagged by BetMGM: unders on points (10.5), assists (2.5), rebounds (5.5) and 3-pointers made (1.5), according to ESPN.
Robinson allegedly manipulated his performance in the Bulldogs’ Jan 7, 2025, game at Colorado State, a 91-64 loss. An NCAA investigation found he had placed wagers in other games, as well.
The former Bulldogs guard, working with Vazquez and a sportsbook trader, turned $2,200 in wagers into a $15,950 payout from that game against the Rams, according to the NCAA investigation.
Robinson took only four shots, scored just three points and grabbed only two rebounds in that game.
Fresno State guard Jalen Weaver also admitted to the NCAA that he had placed proposition wagers and was ruled ineligible. Vazquez, who transferred to San Jose State, also was declared ineligible by the NCAA.
Here’s how it all unfolded, and where the program stands now:
Gambling scandal timeline: From Robinson to Nevada arrest
The players who got caught
Three names sit at the center of the scandal: Robinson, Weaver and Vasquez. All three were permanently declared ineligible by the NCAA in September
A fourth player, guard Zaon Collins, was also caught up in the internal probe, but he was ultimately cleared by the NCAA and reinstated to the team.
How the scandal unraveled
Dec. 11, 2024 — The first bets. Robinson placed five-way parlays on a Fresno State game at BYU that included an over-line on his own rebounds, according to the NCAA investigation. He lost $20, then changed his approach and started betting the under on himself.
Dec. 28-31, 2024 — Escalation. Robinson placed 13 daily fantasy prop bets on himself totaling $454 across games on Dec. 11, Dec. 28 and Dec. 31, 2024 and Jan. 7 and 11, 2025. He won $618 on his own prop parlay bets.
Dec. 31, 2024 — The New Mexico game. This is where Weaver got involved. Robinson and Weaver exchanged information about their respective betting lines before the game. Weaver placed a $50 prop bet on a three-way parlay including his own assists, Robinson’s 3-pointers made and another player’s points, and won $260. Robinson also placed four parlay bets totaling $236 on the New Mexico game.
Jan. 7, 2025 — The Colorado State game. Robinson and Vasquez cashed bets for more than $15,000 by parlaying Robinson going under in multiple statistical categories. Robinson took only four shots, scored just three points and grabbed only two rebounds in a 91-64 loss to the Rams. Per the NCAA’s case synopsis: “Prior to the game, Robinson told his mother to transfer money via Apple Pay to Vasquez so Vasquez could coordinate a $200 bet on Robinson’s under-line on Robinson’s behalf. Additionally, Vasquez and a sportsbook trader bet $1,200 on Robinson’s under-line to win $8,700.” Combined bets of $2,200 turned into a $15,950 payout.
Jan. 11, 2025 — Robinson’s last game. The overtime loss at home to Nevada was Robinson’s last appearance in a Bulldogs uniform. He had placed three more prop bets totaling $113 on himself in that game but didn’t win any money on them.
Mid-January 2025 — Robinson quietly gone. Robinson was suspended and later removed from the roster. Fresno State didn’t say why.
Late January 2025 — Sports integrity monitors flag the bets. A sports integrity monitoring service notified Fresno State and the NCAA that a Nevada sportsbook had flagged suspicious prop bet activity on Robinson at Colorado State. The investigation began.
Feb. 20, 2025 — Weaver interviewed by the NCAA. He admitted to betting on himself and Robinson.
Feb. 22, 2025 — The Air Force game. Weaver and Collins were held out at Colorado Springs for “eligibility” reasons. With only seven scholarship players available, the Bulldogs lost in overtime — their 10th straight defeat as the Fresno Bee first reported. The Mountain West acknowledged the “review of an eligibility matter” the same day.
Feb. 27, 2025 — Weaver dismissed. Five days after being held out, the Bulldogs’ leading scorer (12.5 points per game) was removed from the team. Robinson had already been quietly cut the previous week.
September 2025 — The NCAA drops the hammer. Robinson, Weaver and Vasquez all had their eligibility permanently revoked. Robinson and Weaver each had a year of eligibility left. Vasquez was a senior at San Jose State. Collins was cleared. Robinson and Vasquez had declined to meet with NCAA investigators.
May 5, 2026 — The Nevada arrest. An unnamed suspect was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on charges tied to the alleged conspiracy.
June 2026 — Nevada Gaming Control Board goes public. The NGCB, working with the NCAA, announced it had subpoenaed financial records, cellphone data and licensed sportsbook operators, and that the alleged conspiracy involved “former and current associates connected to collegiate basketball programs, who coordinated and illegally profited from proposition wagers that they made based on their inside knowledge of a player’s intentional underperformance.” The board specifically cited the Jan. 7 Colorado State game and said it’s pursuing criminal charges against several others still outstanding.
This report was produced with the assistance of a proprietary tool powered by artificial intelligence based on our own originally reported, written and published content. Before publishing, journalists reviewed this content in compliance with McClatchy Media’s AI policy.
This story was originally published July 7, 2026 at 6:53 AM.