Who is Marves Fairley? The Tipster That was Fed NBA Insider Information

Marves Fairley was named in the sports rigging indictment that rocked the NBA this week, with current Miami Heat player Terry Rozier, coach Chauncey Billups, and former player and coach Damon Jones also implicated.

Rozier had been under investigation for some time, and the explosive charges were detailed on Thursday following his arrest. Fairley is one of the key figures in the case, and his tipping service, Vezino Locks, has been exposed as using insider information to feed picks to subscribers.

The FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York flagged a series of NBA games as part of the ongoing investigation. The matches in question appear to be the tip of the iceberg, with Fairley’s tipping service frequently recommending picks that could be viewed as suspicious.

The games noted in the official press release include:

• February 9, 2023 – Milwaukee Bucks at Los Angeles Lakers
  Former NBA player and coach Damon Jones worked as an unofficial assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2022-2023 season – a position that gave him access to medical information about the players that was not public. Jones shared and sold the information about the Lakers’ lineup to Fairley and associates. The coach texted a co-conspirator (possibly Fairley) to “get a big bet on Milwaukee tonight” because Lebron James was going to be out. Milwaukee beat the Lakers 115-106.
• March 23, 2023 – Charlotte Hornets at New Orleans Pelicans
  Terry Rozier fed information to Fairley and others that he would exit the game early. According to the indictment, Fairley paid Deniro Laster, $100,000 for the information. He then used that confidential information to place and direct more than $200,000 in wagers predicting Rozier’s “under” statistics. He also shared the information with Shane Hennen, who is also indicted.
• March 24, 2023 – Chicago Bulls at Portland Trail Blazers
  Chauncey Billups, coach of the Trail Blazers, told Fairley and others that several Portland players would sit out. Fairley and his associates wagered over $100,000 against the Blazers. When the lineup change was later confirmed, betting lines shifted dramatically, and the group’s early bets yielded major winnings. The indictment notes Fairley wired $20,000 to Eric Earnest for providing the information shared by Billups.
• April 6, 2023 – Cleveland Cavaliers at Orlando Magic
  Fairley profited from a tip obtained through an inside connection to a then-Orlando Magic player. The player has not been identified. Fairley placed an approximately $11,000 bet that the Cavaliers would cover the point spread. When the lineup change was later confirmed and the Cavaliers went on to beat the Magic by 24 points, Fairley and the co-conspirator pocketed the winnings.
• January 15, 2024 – Oklahoma City Thunder at Los Angeles Lakers
  Jones again disclosed the Lakers’ lineup to Fairley and others. Jones sent messages saying that a player would only play a limited number of minutes. The player, who was listed as ‘probable,’ was Anthony Davis. Based on the information, Fairley placed a $100,000 losing bet on Oklahoma to win. As it turned out, Davis played and scored 27 points as the Lakers won 112-105. Fairley demanded that the $2,500 he had paid Earnest be returned. It is not revealed whether Jones or Earnest compensated Fairley for his losses.
• January 26, 2024 – Los Angeles Clippers at Toronto Raptors
  Jontay Porter, who was then a Raptors player, informed co-conspirator Long Phi Pham and others that he would prematurely exit the game. Pham, in turn, provided this information to Hennen, who also provided the information to Fairley. Bettors profited by backing Porter’s unders, which won after he exited the game early. Porter pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud, received a lifetime ban from the NBA, and is awaiting sentencing.  
• March 20, 2024 – Sacramento Kings at Toronto Raptors
  Porter again disclosed that he would exit the game early. The information went through Pham, who passed it on to Hennen, Fairley, and others. In both games noted, Porter recorded no points, playing only a few minutes in each game. Any prop bets on his unders would have been winners.

Fairley, along with Rozier, Earnest, Hennen, Jones, and Laster, has been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The charges carry prison sentences of up to 20 years.

Vezino Locks Winning Bets

Fairley has been providing NBA tips on far more games and has publicly posted bet slips of his wagers on Instagram. Some other games that could later be implicated in the scandal include the Boston Celtics at Miami Heat on May 27, 2023.

Fairley posted a video on Instagram showing a wager of $103,300 on under 209 points. Boston won the game 104-103, giving winnings of $93,909.10.

In the video, Fairley and associates can be seen putting wads of cash down on the table and celebrating by throwing bills in the air. Other videos frequently show Fairley flaunting his winnings and enjoying a lavish lifestyle. In a post on May 30, 2023, not long after some flagged games, he wrote, “Did a lot of $#** to live this lifestyle.”

The $103,300 bet was placed at Harrah’s Gulf Coast Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi. This was the same location where bets on Rozier’s unders were placed in the March game. Fairley has since been banned from betting at the Caesars-run casino for suspicious betting activity.

In an Instagram post a few days later, on June 2, Vezino Locks touted the Denver Nuggets -8.5 points as the pick of the day. The Nuggets beat the Miami Heat 104-93. Michael Porter Jr., brother of Jontay, scored 14 points for Denver.

Porter Jr. has not been implicated in the scandal. Law enforcement said Jontay Porter had been targeted by the gambling syndicate that includes known members of Mafia families due to his previous gambling debts.

It is unclear how many of Vezino Locks’ tips were based on insider information coming directly from players or coaches connected to teams.

Fairley Named ‘Main Syndicate Suspect’ in NCAA Scandal

In addition to the NBA games, Fairley has been identified as the “main syndicate suspect” in a college basketball betting scandal. Investigators have flagged games involving Eastern Michigan, New Orleans, Mississippi Valley State, North Carolina A&T, and Stony Brook.

Fairley reportedly wagered and tipped the five teams’ opponents to cover the halftime point spreads. Games identified as suspicious include the following:

Date	Team Bet Against	Opponent	Betting Pattern / Details	Outcome (HT / FT)
Dec 1, 2024	Stony Brook	Norfolk State	Dormant accounts reactivated; 9 × $300 bets and new accounts opened for large “excessive” wagers.	HT: Norfolk St. 34 – 27 (covered). FT: Norfolk St. 73 – 67.
Dec 21, 2024	Mississippi Valley State	Tulsa	Bettors at Harrah’s Gulf Coast wagered $2,500 and $1,700; $20,000 bet denied.	HT: Tulsa 46 – 17. FT: Tulsa 88 – 55 (covered 26-point spread).
Dec 21, 2024	Eastern Michigan	Wright State	$4,000, $3,500, $2,200 bets on Wright State first-half spread; connected to prior flagged accounts.	HT: Wright St. 43 – 29 (covered). FT: Wright St. 87 – 65.
Dec 28, 2024	New Orleans	McNeese State	Bet amounts increased sequentially ($250 → $1,000 → $1,500) on McNeese covering vs UNO.	HT: McNeese 44 – 25. FT: McNeese 87 – 64 (covered).
Dec 30, 2024	New Orleans	Vanderbilt	Multiple coordinated first-half spread wagers against UNO.	HT: Vanderbilt 42 – 24. FT: Vanderbilt 85 – 56 (covered).
Jan 2, 2025	North Carolina A&T	Elon	$1,200 and $5,000 two-leg parlay (Elon –3.5 first half + Tenn. State –2.5); cashed out midgame.	HT: Elon 41 – 32 (covered). FT: Elon 79 – 69.
Jan 6, 2025	New Orleans	Texas A&M–Corpus Christi	Repeat of betting pattern; new large retail sportsbook bets.	HT: TAMU–CC 47 – 28. FT: TAMU–CC 91 – 72 (covered).
Jan 7, 2025	Eastern Michigan	Toledo	Bettor tried $10k; split wagers between two Mississippi casinos ($5k + $9k).	HT: Toledo 46 – 33 (covered). FT: Toledo 88 – 74.
Jan 11, 2025	New Orleans	Southeastern Louisiana	Continued pattern of first-half wagers; multiple bettors coordinated.	HT: SE Louisiana 45 – 34 (covered). FT: SE Louisiana 92 – 74.
Jan 14, 2025	Eastern Michigan	Central Michigan	IC360 alert triggered; multiple suspicious bets against EMU.	HT: Central Mich. 39 – 33 (covered). FT: Central Mich. 78 – 72.

Fairley has denied any wrongdoing. In another Instagram post, he stated, “I think it’s just the media. It’s just somebody that’s writing articles and details about me that don’t know me personally. I think it comes with success. I think the more you level up in life, the more angles they come to bring you down.”