Ex-Raptors player Jontay Porter reportedly set to plead guilty to felony charge after gambling scandal, ban
Former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter will be charged with a felony in the United States connected to the sports betting scandal that led to his lifetime ban from the NBA, according to The Associated Press.
Federal prosecutors named Porter in a criminal information sheet in Brooklyn on Tuesday, meaning that at least one federal charge is imminent. Canadian authorities have opened a criminal investigation into Porter, too. Porter, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York told The Athletic's Mike Vorkunov, is expected to plead guilty to that charge on July 10.
The document, per the report, doesn’t specify what the charge is specifically. It does, however, show that the case with Porter is connected to an existing case where four men were charged in relation to Porter’s scandal. Those four men, who were each charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, have not entered pleas in their case.
The NBA determined that Porter purposefully limited his participation in two games earlier this season in order to influence the outcome of bets made on his performance. Before one game, the NBA said, Porter disclosed confidential information about his health to an “individual he knew to be an NBA bettor.” Porter also placed at least 13 bets on NBA games using someone else’s betting account, ranging anywhere from $15 to $22,000, while he was traveling with the Raptors and their G League affiliate. None of the bets involved a game in which he played, but he did bet on the Raptors, according to the league.
As a result, the NBA banned him for life.
Porter’s attorney said last month that Porter had been “in over his head due to a gambling addiction,” and that he is currently cooperating with the investigation and seeking treatment.
Porter, who is the brother of Denver Nuggets star Michael Porter Jr., was in his first season with the Raptors. He was on a two-way deal, and he appeared in 26 games with the team before he was suspended.
