Months after the NBA banned Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter for life for gambling, court papers suggest he will be charged with a federal felony related to the allegations against him. The Associated Press reports that federal prosecutors in Brooklyn filed a criminal information sheet on Tuesday suggesting Porter could be charged. The paperwork relates to another case in which four men, charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, hoped to make money off a tip related to a player, likely Porter, who wanted to exit two games early.
In April, the NBA accused Porter of violating the league’s rules against gambling, claiming he’d given info to sports bettors and taken himself out of games to change the odds around his performance. On March 20, Porter played only three minutes of a game before “claiming that he felt ill,” the statement said. Porter also bet on NBA games himself, according to the league’s statement.
“There is nothing more important than protecting the integrity of NBA competition for our fans, our teams and everyone associated with our sport, which is why Jontay Porter’s blatant violations of our gaming rules are being met with the most severe punishment,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said.
Allegedly using Porter’s info, an individual made an $80,000 bet that paid out $1.1 million. But the company that took the bet did not pay it out since they flagged the win as unusual.
Porter’s lawyer, Jeff Jansen, last month said the player was “in over his head due to a gambling addiction,” according to the AP. Porter was seeking treatment and working with law enforcement.
The AP reports that prosecutors charged Ammar Awawdeh, Timothy McCormack, Mahmud Mollah, and Long Phi Pham with using info from a basketball player known in the paperwork as “Player 1” to place bets. Details of the case and the NBA’s statement align. In the complaint, “Player 1” owed Awawdeh “significant gambling debts” and allegedly agreed to throw his performance at games so Awawdeh could make money. Player 1 allegedly subsequently promised the four men he’d feign health problems to take him out of games on Jan. 26 and March 20.
After the betting company rejected the million-dollar bet, Player 1 later messaged three of the men warning them they “might just get hit w a rico,” referring to a racketeering charge. He added he hoped they deleted “all the stuff” from their phones.