Former Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter admitted guilt on Wednesday to a criminal conspiracy charge related to his involvement in a sports gambling scandal that resulted in a lifetime ban from the NBA. Porter, 24, entered his plea to a wire fraud conspiracy charge during a hearing in Brooklyn federal court. The NBA had banned Porter in April, citing violations of their gambling policies due to his placement of 13 bets on league games, including a bet on the Raptors’ loss.
In court, Porter acknowledged his substantial gambling debts and revealed that he had agreed to provide information to others about his intention to leave games prematurely. This information enabled them to bet against his performance and generate profits. Porter expressed remorse for his actions, stating he had participated in a gambling rehabilitation program and was currently undergoing therapy. He was released on a 250,000 USD bond co-signed by his mother and wife.
Porter’s sentencing is scheduled for December 18th. He has agreed not to appeal any sentence of 4-3/4 years or less. The prosecution also brought charges against four other men in connection with the scheme. They were accused of conspiring to defraud a sports betting company during two Raptors games where they had prior knowledge of Porter’s early exits.
The prosecution alleged that Porter played only four minutes in a game against the Los Angeles Clippers on January 26th before citing an eye injury. Similarly, he played just three minutes in a game against the Sacramento Kings on March 20th before claiming illness. The men allegedly profited over 1 million USD from these games by betting against Porter’s performance.
According to the complaint, Porter owed substantial gambling debts to one of the men, Ammar Awawdeh. Awawdeh, who is currently out on 100,000 USD bail and has not entered a plea, reportedly encouraged Porter to repay him by manipulating his on-court performance. Prosecutors revealed that Porter had communicated with the men in an April 4th group chat, expressing concern about potential legal repercussions. He inquired about the deletion of incriminating cell phone content.
