Jontay Porter pleads guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, likely faces prison sentence

PORTLAND, OREGON - MARCH 09: 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. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

Jul 10, 2024

Former Toronto Raptors center Jontay Porter pled guilty Wednesday in federal court to a conspiracy to commit wire fraud in the betting case that got him banned from the NBA and has entangled four other individuals with federal charges.

Porter made his plea at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn. He was released on a $250,000 bond signed by his mother and his wife, and his sentencing has been scheduled for Dec. 18. While federal conspiracy to commit wire fraud can carry a maximum term of 20 years, Porter likely faces 41 to 51 months in prison based on sentencing guidelines.

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Timeline of Jontay Porter's NBA career and gambling investigations by league, police

Porter was banned by the NBA in April for his role in the sports gambling scandal that involved him manipulating his performance and availability so that others could hit the under on prop bets involving him during games on Jan. 26 and March 20 while he was with the Raptors.

Porter is the first active player or coach to be expelled from the NBA for gambling since Jack Molinas in 1954. More recently, NBA commissioner Adam Silver gave a significant drug suspension to O.J. Mayo in 2016 that effectively kept him out of the league, and he banned LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling in 2014 and forced him to sell the team for making racist comments.

The NBA also found in its own investigation that Porter bet on NBA games.

Porter was not named a defendant in a case brought by federal prosecutors last month that charged four men with conspiracy to defraud a sports betting company, but he was referred to as Player 1 in a complaint that spelled out the allegations against them.

Porter, according to the complaint, owed large gambling debts and agreed to remove himself from games early by claiming injury or ailment so that the men could win their bets involving him. One man bet $80,000 on a parlay of bets involving Porter and won $1.1 million.

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(Photo: Alika Jenner / Getty Images)

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Mike Vorkunov is the national basketball business reporter for The Athletic. He covers the intersection of money and basketball and covers the sport at every level. He previously spent three-plus seasons as the New York Knicks beat writer. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeVorkunov