Ex-NBA Player Jontay Porter Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud; Faces Over 4 Years in Prison

Former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter turned himself in to federal authorities on Wednesday, July 10, and pled guilty to a conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a sports betting scandal involving four others. Porter entered his plea at the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

Federal prosecutors recommended a prison sentence of 41-51 months, and Porter will have to pay over $450,000 in fines and fees. According to the New York Post, Porter was released on a $250,000 bond posted by his wife and mother.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver banned Porter from the league for life in April, several weeks after news broke that Porter might have violated league wagering rules. Porter tampered with two games so that his co-conspirators could win "under" prop bets. NBA players are allowed to gamble, but they are forbidden from betting on basketball and fixing games. Porter is the only NBA player to be banned or suspended for betting since PASPA was overturned in 2018.

According to a federal affidavit filed in June, the former NBA player agreed to leave two games early, ensuring that his co-conspirators won their bets. Porter was in debt to these men, who placed their bets on legal sportsbooks. In court Wednesday, Porter admitted to placing bets and exiting games early. He told Judge James R. Cho that he did these things "in order to get out from under gambling debt," per the Post.

Cho set Porter's sentencing for December 18. Porter told Cho that he knew what he did was "wrong" and "unlawful."

The federal complaint that identifies the four gamblers who bet on the games in question does not name Porter but refers to him as "Player 1." The dates and other details match up, pointing to him as the player involved. The games Porter tampered with were played on January 26 and March 22. The bettors won more than $1 million from their bets, which were flagged by legal operators. All four co-conspirators face federal charges for conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Federal investigators indicated they would file charges against Porter only after the final co-conspirator was arraigned.

From the context of the complaint, it is unclear if any of the gamblers acted as illegal bookmakers, although that is implied. The gamblers "forced" Porter to leave the games early so they could win their bets. Text messages from the complaint suggested that Porter was paying down debts with his actions.

The U.S. charges may not be the only ones Porter will face. On June 18, ESPN reported that the Ontario Provincial Police had opened a criminal investigation into the illegal gambling scheme. So far, no charges have been filed.

Porter was the first of three North American professional athletes to be banned from their sport for life this spring. In April, three-time CFL Grey Cup winner Shawn Lemon was banned for violating league gambling policy. In June, Major League Baseball kicked out San Diego Padres' Tucupita Marcano for betting on baseball. Marcano had bet on the Pittsburgh Pirates, the team he played for at the time. 

By fLEXI tEAM