• Loading stock data...
Tuesday, September 9, 2025
Fox Analyst and Media Entrepreneur Greg Olsen to Speak at Tuned In Get your ticket now!
Law

Biden Commutes Miami Booster’s Ponzi Scheme Sentence

One of the most notorious boosters in the history of college sports saw his prison sentence commuted by President Biden.

Sept 5, 2011; College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins fans hold up a sign referencing Miami Hurricanes former booster Nevin Shapiro during the first half at Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium.
James Lang-Imagn Images

President Joe Biden gave former University of Miami booster Nevin Shapiro an early holiday gift. 

On Thursday, Biden commuted Shapiro’s 20-year prison sentence as one of nearly 1,500 handed down, a single-day record for a U.S. president. 

Biden did not release a statement specific to Shapiro’s case, but the White House made a statement about the record amount of commutations. 

“As the President has said, the United States is a nation of second chances,” the statement read. “The President recognizes how the clemency power can advance equal justice under law and remedy harms caused by practices of the past.”

Shapiro, who illegally paid University of Miami football and basketball players for nearly a decade in the 2000s, was convicted of securities fraud and money laundering in 2011, charges stemming from a $930 million Ponzi scheme he ran from his company Capitol Investments USA in Miami. Shapiro claimed to buy wholesale groceries and sell them to more expensive markets, though it turned out he never sold them. Shapiro used Capitol to solicit the money over a four-year span from investors who thought they were getting a stake in his grocery distribution business. 

He received a 20-year sentence in June 2011 and served time in prison until 2020, when he was transferred to house arrest due to COVID-19. Shapiro was ordered to pay more than $82 million in restitution to his victims.

Shapiro has about six and a half years left on his sentence, and it’s unknown by how much Biden’s commutation reduced it. (Commuting a sentence reduces it, while a pardon is a total forgiveness for a crime and removes all legal penalties. A pardon can restore certain rights based on the nature of the crime.) 

While under house arrest, Shapiro has emerged as an online personality, appearing on Miami-related podcasts and posting videos to his Instagram account. Shapiro calls himself “Original N.I.L” and “Former University of Miami Rainmaker” in his Instagram bio. The “former” is a nod to paying college players, which has since become legalized; NCAA bylaws began permitting athletes to make money off their name, image, and likeness in 2021. The “rainmaker” moniker refers to his reputation for taking Miami athletes to nightclubs. 

In the early 2000s, few people were as powerful in Miami athletics than Shapiro. He was allergic to following NCAA rules. He regularly cut checks to the Hurricanes while entertaining their star players—illegal activities at the time. Occasionally a Miami athlete, including former Hurricanes and NFL star Vince Wilfork, signed with Shapiro’s agency, Axcess Sports, when they turned pro. 

Two months after being sent to prison, Shapiro disclosed his behavior in an interview with Yahoo Sports, which exposed the athletes he paid, the university, and himself. In light of Shapiro’s revelations, the school imposed significant penalties on itself in an attempt to mitigate major punishment from an NCAA investigation. It imposed a postseason bowl ban on itself for a year and suspended eight members of its football team. 

The NCAA launched its own investigation, which took two and a half years to complete after it was revealed NCAA investigators broke their own rules by paying Shapiro’s lawyer to call university personnel for a deposition related to a separate case regarding Shapiro’s bankruptcy and using it to ask questions about his scandal with the athletic department. Shapiro’s lawyer used her subpoena power in the bankruptcy case, which the NCAA lacked on its own, to question two witnesses who were also tied to the NCAA’s case. 

Ultimately, the NCAA punished Miami by docking three football scholarships for three seasons, putting the program on probation for three years, imposed recruiting restrictions, and suspended former coach Frank Haith for five games. Haith served the suspension as coach of Missouri. 

While Shapiro went to jail for his Ponzi scheme, he never faced charges for his role in the Miami scandal. But the situation and the NCAA’s handling of it showcased the lengths schools went to win, how institutions looked the other way on rule-breaking, and how the NCAA wasn’t competent enough to enforce its own rules.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

The cover of the College Football 25 video game.
exclusive

Group That Facilitated NIL Deal for Football Video Game Now Says It’s..

EA offered $1,500 and no royalties; it also deleted an opt-out clause.
Connecticut Sun

Connecticut Senators Rip WNBA Handling of Sun Sale

The Senators are urging the league to stay out of the negotiations.
Hosszu

World Aquatics Reaches $4.6 Million Settlement With Pro Swimmers

Meanwhile, the International Swimming League’s case heads to trial in January.
Sep 6, 2025; Gainesville, Florida, USA; South Florida Bulls place kicker Nico Gramatica (7), South Florida Bulls long snapper Turner McLaughlin (48) and teammates celebrate after a game against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

USF Is the Newest Financial Underdog in the AP Top 25

USF’s athletic department brings in half the amount Florida does.

Featured Today

Sep 7, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills fans react during the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium.

As Bills Ascend, Their Next Frontier Lies in Canada

Buffalo and the powerful Canadian entity MLSE come together in a new pact.
opinion
September 9, 2025

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from NFL’s Week 1 Broadcasts

Many viewers decried the addition of ads to NFL RedZone.
Aug 23, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) leads the team onto the field for warm ups before a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium.
September 7, 2025

Slow Burn: The NFL’s Private-Equity Era So Far

Three deals have been struck to date. But the league is bullish.
Tennis
September 5, 2025

The US Open Is Groaning Under the Weight of Its Own Success

New York’s tennis major is more popular than ever.
Blue Jays
exclusive

MLBPA, DraftKings Agree to Settle NIL Suit

MLBPA said DraftKings and other sportsbooks improperly used players’ NIL.
Feb 2, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue scratches his head after calling a time out as forward Kawhi Leonard (2) walks past in the first half against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena.
September 4, 2025

Kawhi Leonard’s Alleged ‘No Show’ Job Is Latest in Complex Clippers Relationship

Leonard’s high-profile 2019 recruitment continues to generate headlines years later.
Nov 9, 2024; Avondale, Arizona, USA; 23XI Racing team owner Michael Jordan during qualifying for the Cup Series championship race at Phoenix Raceway.
September 4, 2025

Jordan Can’t Bar Charter Sales Because NASCAR Agreed Not to Sell Charters

The contentious antitrust suit is slated to go to trial this December.
Sponsored

How World Series Champ Dexter Fowler Became a Premier League Team Owner

Dexter Fowler discusses navigating retirement and embracing new roles as an owner & investor.
Megan Romano
September 4, 2025

The $800 Million Enhanced Games Lawsuit Could Have Legs

Antitrust experts say the case could have some merit.
Oct 15, 2012; Dallas, TX, USA; A view of the Fox Sports Southwest logo during the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Houston Rockets at the American Airlines Center. The Mavericks defeated the Rockets 123-104.
September 3, 2025

Fox, Hairstylist Settle Bombshell Sexual Harassment Lawsuit

Skip Bayless, Charlie Dixon, and Joy Taylor all denied claims of wrongdoing.
Michael Jordan
August 29, 2025

Texts From Michael Jordan, NASCAR Bosses Aired Out in Court: ‘I Have..

Jordan said he plans on “going down with fire” against NASCAR.
Barstool
August 29, 2025

Barstool Sues for Millions Over Failed Sponsorship Deal 

The media company says it was stiffed to the tune of $4.2 million.