A men’s college basketball game between Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan on Tuesday was flagged by multiple sportsbooks for suspicious wagering activity. Betting integrity firms are investigating the unusual wagers, ESPN reported.

The activity in question a suspiciously high bet on the first-half point spread for Tuesday’s EMU-CMU game. Several betting integrity monitors across multiple states noticed the wager and the spread increasing significantly and atypically before the game.

The first-half point spread went from CMU by 3.5 to 6.5 in the hour before tipoff. Central Michigan hit a 3-pointer with two seconds remaining in the first half to take a 39–33 lead. EMU eventually lost the game, 82-63.

Sports betting monitor Integrity Compliance 360 sent an alert to clients including sportsbooks, state gaming regulators, leagues and NCAA conferences noting the wager — the “largest wager to date” placed by this bettor — on CMU covering the spread in the first half, according to ESPN. The monitor’s investigation also discovered two high wagers from accounts in different jurisdictions on CMU’s first-half point spread.

IC360’s alert also noted that Tuesday’s game was the second flagged by sportsbooks this season that involved Eastern Michigan. The other EMU game that was flagged for suspicious betting activity was the Eagles’ matchup versus Wright State on Dec. 21.

Like the CMU wager, the Wright State bet was placed against EMU. The first-half spread for Wright State was 2.5 and the Raiders held a 38–27 halftime lead. EMU eventually won the game, 86–82.

Unusual wagering on first-half lines has been monitored on college basketball games going back to last season. Another school that has had multiple games flagged for suspicious activity is Temple, reports ESPN. First-half lines are typically about half the total of a game’s full line.

Any movement higher than that usually draws attention. If the first half line closes higher, that often indicates that something is wrong. The full line for the EMU-CMU games was -8 and the first half line closed at -6.5.

The Eastern Michigan men’s basketball team hasn’t played since that Jan. 14 game versus Central Michigan. EMU’s next game is scheduled for Saturday against Bowling Green.

Detroit – A Chicago man has been convicted in the theft of $700,000 from a Michigan casino, a brazen scheme in which an employee was tricked over the phone into stuffing the cash into a designer bag and driving 85 miles (137 kilometers) to deliver it.

“This case underscores the need for businesses, organizations and citizens to be diligent and cautious about phone and internet scams,” U.S. Attorney Mark Totten said.

The crime occurred in 2023 at the Four Winds Casino in Hartford in southwestern Michigan, which is operated by the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians. The FBI said a key employee who handles cash received a phone call and text messages directing her to immediately gather $700,000 for a tribal official.

No one stopped the employee as she filled a Michael Kors bag with bundles of cash, walked out of the casino and drove away.

She stayed on the phone with the caller who eventually told her to go to a gas station in Gary, Indiana. That’s when she passed the cash to Jesus Gaytan-Garcia, one of two men in a minivan who met her, investigators said.

“She was cooperative with investigators and told them about the call, the text messages and the money transfer at the gas station,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Lane said in a court filing.

Gaytan-Garcia wasn’t arrested until March 2024, seven months later, after investigators were able to link him to the vehicle used to pick up the cash.

He was convicted of two charges Thursday in federal court in Kalamazoo.

Investigators said they recovered $18,000 from a safe in Gaytan-Garcia’s Chicago home. The money was wrapped and marked with the date of the casino theft.

“He lived in that house with his family and other families, and there’s movement between the floors,” defense attorney Parker Douglas said Friday. “The money was accessible to other people there. My argument was there just wasn’t any hard evidence that said this man did this at this time. The jury disagreed.”

Searches at Gaytan-Garcia’s trailers in Indiana revealed evidence of money transfers, antique coins, Civil War currency and foreign currency, Lane said.

This story has been updated to include new information.

An Arctic surge expected to make temperatures as low as 20 below zero early next week still likely won’t come close to producing the coldest temperatures in Michigan history.

On Feb. 9, 1934, Vanderbilt, in Otsego County, recorded the all-time coldest temperature in Michigan — minus 51 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information.

As a polar air mass known as a Siberian Express spreads southward across the U.S. and Michigan, temperatures Sunday through Tuesday area expected to fall into the single digits and even below zero in many areas.

Parts of the Upper Peninsula, including Ironwood, could see temperatures as low at minus 20, the National Weather Service said. In the Lower Peninsula, temperatures will be below zero at times, but won’t approach 20 below.

Even though records may not be broken, the Michigan State Police said people should take precautions.

“With temperatures dropping below zero and dangerously cold wind chills on the way, it’s important to take extra steps to keep yourself and your loved ones safe,” said Capt. Kevin Sweeney, deputy state director of Emergency Management and commander of MSP/EMHSD. “Dress in layers, limit time outdoors, and check on your neighbors who might need extra help. Staying informed and prepared can make all the difference during extreme weather like this.”

Many Michigan cities and villages have gotten downright frigid during past winters. Here’s what we know.

Where in Michigan does it get coldest in the winter?

While Michigan hasn’t seen 20 below zero in a while, it’s not uncommon. Here’s a look at some records for January, according to the National Weather Service.

Lansing

• 1981: Minus 29
• 1984, 1976: Minus 25

Detroit

• 1976: Minus 25
• 1994: Minus 22

Saginaw

Grand Rapids

Marquette

• 1977: Minus 32
• 1963: Minus 30

Ironwood

• 1977: Minus 40
• 1972: Minus 39
• 1912: Minus 37

Houghton and Hancock

Bergland

• 1912: Minus 45
• 1915: Minus 40

Sault Ste. Marie

Gaylord

• 1984: Minus 31
• 1981: Minus 30

What is the coldest month in Michigan?

January is the coldest month in Michigan. Statewide, the average high is 31 degrees and the low 18.

Where in Michigan gets the most snow?

The highest recorded snowfall in a 24-hour period took place in Herman, southeast of L’Anse in the UP, which received 32 inches of snow on Dec. 2, 1985.

The Keweenaw is known for its prodigious snow totals.

The Keweenaw Snow Gauge, alongside U.S. 41 between Mohawk and Phoenix, is an iconic destination for travelers visiting the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Visit Keweenaw notes.

The Keweenaw’s record snowfall was set during the winter of 1978-79 when the Keweenaw received 390.4 inches of snow between November and April.

So far, more than 153 inches of snow has fallen in the area this year.

Contact Sarah Moore @smoorelsj.com