Jontay Porter is expected to face criminal charges due to an alleged NBA betting scheme involving the former Toronto Raptor and four co-conspirators, according to a Tuesday filing in federal court.
Porter, who was banned from the NBA for life, had previously been named in a criminal complaint as “Player 1.”
However, Porter is now identified in a Brooklyn Federal Court docket as the defendant in the alleged NBA betting case.
NBA betting offense listed as felony
The nature of Porter’s offense was checked as a felony on the court docket, which was obtained by LSR.
However, it is unclear at this time exactly what charges he will face.
An arraignment and plea agreement hearing for Porter is slated for July 10.
The NBA did not respond to a request for comment from LSR by the time of publication.
Lawyer: Porter cooperating with feds
Porter’s attorney had told the Associated Press that his client was in over his head with a gambling addiction, and is fully cooperating with federal investigators.
“Jontay is a good young man with strong faith that will get him through this,” said Porter’s attorney, Jeff Jensen. “He was in over his head due to a gambling addiction. He is undergoing treatment and has been fully cooperative with law enforcement.”
Details of alleged NBA betting scheme
The alleged NBA betting scheme involved Porter providing inside information that he was going to throw his personal performance in a pair of games while faking injury to pay off a gambling debt.
One $80,000 parlay featuring several Porter unders hit for over $1 million in profit. However, that bet was flagged for suspicious activity and never paid out.
The four co-conspirators as named in the criminal complaint are Long Phi Pham, Mahmud Mollah, Timothy McCormack and Ammar Awawdeh. They face conspiracy charges involving wire fraud.
Canadian authorities also probing case
Canadian authorities were also probing the alleged NBA betting scheme involving Porter. It is unclear whether Porter will also be charged in Canada.
“The OPP Investigation and Enforcement Bureau (IEB) has completed their assessment of available information in relation to the reported online betting irregularities from the January 26 and March 20, 2024 Toronto Raptors games and have determined that a criminal investigation is warranted,” Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Robert Simpson said in a statement.
“The OPP IEB is aware of the ongoing criminal investigation being conducted by Federal authorities in the U.S.A. and will be connecting with them as our investigation moves forward. As this is an ongoing investigation, in order to protect the integrity of the investigation, no additional information is being provided.”
