Banned NBA player Jontay Porter has admitted to tipping off gamblers in the $1 million scheme that resulted in his lifetime suspension from the league.
The 24-year-old former Toronto Raptors forward pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and will owe nearly $500,000 in fines and restitution.
Porter claims he made bets and schemed with others ‘in order to get out from under gambling debt.’
As he said in Brooklyn federal Judge James R. Cho’s courtroom on Wednesday: ‘I know what I did was wrong and unlawful, and I’m deeply sorry.’
Prosecutors have recommended a stiff sentence between 41 and 51 months in prison. Porter is currently out on $250,000 bond, which has been insured by his family. Porter is also required to attend gambling counselling.
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Court papers showed the case against Porter is related to an ongoing prosecution of four other men. The four have been arraigned on a charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud but haven’t yet entered any pleas.
Those men are charged with scheming to profit off tips from an NBA player that he was going to exit two games early. They or their relatives used the knowledge to place big-winning bets that the athlete would do poorly in those games, according to a court complaint filed when they were charged in June.
The complaint didn’t name the player. But it said he had spoken to investigators in hopes of getting a plea deal and sentencing break ‘in the event he is criminally charged.’
According to the complaint, one of the four men pressed the player to clear up gambling debts by prematurely pulling out of games so that bets on him underperforming would pay off.
In a message responding to the man’s instructions, the player wrote that if he didn’t carry out the plan, ‘u hate me and if I don´t get u 8k by Friday you´re coming to Toronto to beat me up.’
After tipping off some of the men, the player claimed injury or illness and withdrew from Jan. 26 and March 20 games after only minutes on the court, the complaint said.
Porter played only briefly on those dates before complaining he was hurt or sick and exiting the games. His points, rebounds and assists in both games fell below sportsbooks’ expectations.
After the NBA and others began investigating, the player messaged some of the men that they ‘might just get hit w a rico,’ an apparent reference to the common acronym for a federal racketeering charge, according to the complaint against them. It said the player also asked the men whether they had deleted ‘all the stuff’ from their phones.
The NBA’s probe found that Porter not only exited at least one game for gamblers’ sake but also wagered on NBA games in which he didn´t play. He once bet against his own team, the league said.
Porter averaged 4.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 26 games this season, including five starts. He also played in 11 games for the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2020-21 season.
The brother of Denver Nuggets star Michael Porter Jr., Jontay’s NBA salary was about $410,000.