Porter, a former Toronto Raptors player, has been banned for life by the NBA.
A Brooklyn man was indicted on Tuesday on charges of participating in an illegal sports betting scheme involving former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter, who was banned for life by the NBA in April for betting on his team to lose.
Porter faked an injury before a January game between the Raptors and the Los Angeles Clippers, and federal prosecutors in Brooklyn said Bruce Pham bet on Porter's performance, knowing that Porter planned to withdraw from the game.
According to the indictment, Porter had large gambling debts to some of the conspirators in the alleged scheme and was encouraged to pay them off by withdrawing early from certain games to ensure that bets on his performance would win.
Just before a January fight, Porter told Pham he was leaving the match early because he had been injured, prosecutors said, resulting in one of the conspirators winning $40,250.
“Whether in a courtroom or at a casino, every point matters. As alleged, the defendants and their co-conspirators, as well as NBA players, participated in a brazen illegal gambling scheme that improperly influenced two games and numerous bets,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace. “This indictment serves as a warning that fraud and corruption in professional sports will not be tolerated and those who engage in this blatant disregard for the law will be prosecuted.”
According to the complaint, before the March 20 game, Pham and a co-conspirator discussed in a Telegram group chat that Porter would leave the game early because he was feeling unwell. Pham and the co-conspirators allegedly met at an Atlantic City casino and made multiple bets on Porter. After playing just three minutes and recording 0 points, 3 rebounds and 0 assists, Porter pulled out of the game.
On April 4, in a group chat with Porter and a co-conspirator, Porter allegedly wrote to the group that he “might be sued for fraud” and asked participants in the group chat if they had “deleted it.”[d] They also stole “all manner of information” from individuals' cell phones, according to the lawsuit.
Pham was ordered detained until trial. Three co-conspirators charged in the scheme remain at large.
