Ex-NBA player, who received lifetime ban for gambling, to face criminal charges in scheme: report
Jontay Porter, the basketball player who was banned for life from the NBA for gambling, will be facing felony charges.
Porter will be charged thanks to the scheme that led to his punishment in a Brooklyn court, according to The Associated Press.
Court documents do not specify a court date or the charge or charges, but it does show the case is related to an existing prosecution of four men charged with scheming to cash in on tips from a player about his plans to exit two games early, the report says.
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Jontay Porter #34 of the Toronto Raptors warms up before the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Moda Center on March 09, 2024 in Portland, Oregon. (Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
Porter received a lifetime ban on April 17 after the NBA found in an investigation that he had disclosed confidential information to sports bettors and bet on games in violation of league rules. The NBA prohibits players from betting on the league or any of its properties.
The league said an investigation discovered before "the [Toronto] Raptors’ March 20 game, [Jontay] disclosed confidential information about his own health status to an individual he knew to be an NBA bettor."
"Another individual with whom Porter associated and known to be an NBA bettor subsequently placed an $80,000 parlay proposition bet with an online sports book, to win $1.1 million, wagering [Porter] would underperform in the March 20 game."
He only played three minutes in the March 20 game, claiming to have been sick. The $80,000 prop bet was frozen and not paid out.
Jontay Porter of Toronto Raptors fights for a rebound with Lindy Waters III of Oklahoma City Thunder during the 2023-2024 NBA regular season game between Toronto Raptors and Oklahoma City Thunder in Toronto, Canada, March 22, 2024. (Zou Zheng/Xinhua via Getty Images)
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The NBA said it found that, from January to March of this year, while Jontay was either with the Raptors or its G League team, Raptors 905, he placed "at least 13 bets on NBA games using an associate’s betting account."
Porter also gambled on NBA games in which he didn't play, once betting against his own team, the league said.
Jontay Porter #34 of the Toronto Raptors handles the ball during the game against the Detroit Pistons on March 13, 2024 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. (Brian Sevald/NBAE via Getty Images)
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Porter's lawyer, Jeff Jensen, said last month that Porter had been "in over his head due to a gambling addiction" but was getting treatment and cooperating with law enforcement.
Four other men were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud last month.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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