Banned NBA player Jontay Porter to face federal felony charge
Former Toronto Raptors center Jontay Porter will face federal charges for his role in an alleged sports gambling operation that has already seen four others charged.
He is expected to plead guilty on July 10, according to a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
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.
Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Breon Peace’s office declined to comment on the new developments.
An NBA investigation found in April that Porter tipped off bettors about his health and then claimed illness to exit at least one game, creating wins for anyone who had bet on him to underperform expectations. Porter also gambled on NBA games in which he didn’t play, once betting against his own team, the league said.
The four men charged last month appeared in court but haven’t yet entered pleas. They’re charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and were released on bonds in various amounts.