NEW YORK — Former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter is set to be charged with federal felony charges related to the sports betting scandal that led to his suspension by the NBA, court documents show.
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn filed what's called a criminal information sheet on Tuesday. The document doesn't specify a trial date or charges but indicates the case is linked to existing indictments against four men accused of tipping off and profiting from a plan for a player to leave two games early.
Porter's lawyer, Jeff Jensen, said last month that Porter had a “gambling problem that was out of control” but that he was receiving treatment and cooperating with police.
The office of Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Breon Peace declined to comment on the new developments.
The NBA investigation found that in April, Porter leaked information about his health to bettors, then missed at least one game due to illness, resulting in wins for bettors who had bet against him performing below expectations. Porter also bet on NBA games he did not play, and once placed a bet against his own team, according to the league.
The four men indicted last month appeared in court but have not yet entered pleas. They are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
The court complaint alleges that the four — Amar Awadeh, Timothy McCormack, Mahmoud Muller and Long Phi Pham — had advance knowledge of the NBA players' plans and attempted to allow themselves or their relatives to place high-value bets on the players' performance in games on Jan. 26 and March 20.
The complaint identified the player only as “Player 1,” but details about him, even quotes from NBA news releases, matched the league's investigation into Porter.
Porter played briefly on Jan. 26 and March 20 before leaving the court complaining of an injury and illness.
