Jontay Porter RICO charges
A Brooklyn man attempting to board a flight to Australia was taken into custody by authorities on Monday at an airport in the New York City area. Long Phi Pham, the man who was detained while attempting to flee the country, was accused in a related hearing on Tuesday of planning to conspire with others to defraud a sports betting company in bets placed on NBA games in cooperation with an unidentified NBA player.
According to related reporting, it is commonly assumed that the unidentified “Player 1” in the related criminal complaint is none other than former Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter.
Jontay Porter was in debt to the bookies
Porter allegedly accumulated “significant” gambling debts to one of the defendants, who allegedly encouraged him to use a “special” to pay off those debts (i.e., exiting a game early to guarantee that certain prop bets hit the under). This is the new information.
Prosecutors included a message from Porter to the defendant that reads, “If I don’t do a special with your terms.” After that, it’s up. You also detest me, and you’re coming to Toronto to beat me up if I don’t give you eight thousand dollars by Friday.”
Porter was later diagnosed with a corneal abrasion after leaving a Toronto Raptors game on January 22. Porter allegedly promised Pham and his accomplices that he would leave a game on January 26. Porter followed through on that promise, finishing with 0 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist.
What did Jontay Porter text in the group?
Porter is accused of texting the group after the games that would end his NBA career, saying things like “might just get hit with a Rico” and asking if they had “deleted all the stuff” from their phones. The term “Rico” alludes to the “Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act,” a law frequently employed in the fight against organized crime.
One of the defendants texted another, saying, “I really need you to hound [Betting Company 1],” indicating that the group was apparently not happy about having their money frozen at this point. Return my principle, at least.” Porter was banned by the NBA by that time.
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