Former Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter Permanent ban By NBA Sports betting scandalhad a gambling problem that was “out of control,” his lawyer said Friday.
Government investigative lawyer Jeff Jensen of St. Louis also said in a statement provided to The Associated Press that Porter was cooperating with investigators.
“Jontay is a good young man with strong principles who will overcome this. His gambling problem got out of hand. He is receiving treatment and is cooperating fully with law enforcement,” Jensen said. It was Porter's first statement since a league investigation found that Porter gave confidential information to participants in a sports betting contest and bet on games, including bets that the Raptors would lose.
Also on Friday, a fourth man was arrested in the scandal: Amal Awaude, 32. Three co-defendants Earlier this week.
The lawsuit alleges that Awaude pressured an NBA player, identified only as “Player 1,” to leave games midway through to pay off gambling debts. The tactic, which the pair called a “special,” involved betting that Awaude would underperform in a given game, with a cash prize guaranteed, according to the lawsuit.
According to the lawsuit, Awaudeh allegedly wrote to players using an encrypted messaging app earlier this year, telling them he was “forcing” them to “screenshot this.”
Awaudeh, who helps run his family's New York City store, was indicted and placed on home detention with $100,000 bail and an ankle monitor. His lawyer, Alan Gershon, declined to comment on the charges.
Porter has not been charged in the case and is not named in the indictment. But details about Player 1 match those uncovered in the NBA investigation that led to his lifetime ban in April. The league found that Porter had bet on NBA games he did not play, and had withdrawn from at least one game to allow more than $1 million in winnings to bettors who were tipped off.
Awaudeh and co-defendants Timothy McCormack and Mahmoud Mullah; Ronpipham According to the complaint, the defendants had advance knowledge of Player 1's plans so that they and their relatives could place large amounts of bets on the player's performance in the games on January 26 and March 20.
Porter only played briefly that day before leaving the court complaining of an injury or illness.
The betting company ultimately blocked Mueller from collecting most of the more than $1 million he won in the March 20 game, according to the lawsuit.
The defendants in the wire fraud conspiracy indictment have not entered pleas. Attorneys for the defendants declined to comment, except for McCormack's lawyer, Jeffrey Chartier. “No case is easy to win,” Chartier said.
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Hague reported from Hartford, Connecticut.
