On Wednesday (30 October) Mahmud Mollah became the third person in the Jontay Porter sports betting scandal to plead guilty to wire fraud conspiracy.
Mollah is the gambler who placed bets that would have won $1 million (£776,609/€920,850) on the performance of then two-way NBA player Jontay Porter. Porter, who was playing for the Toronto Raptors on a 10-day contract, removed himself early from games on 26 January and 20 March so he and the gamblers could win “under” bets.
Earlier this month, NBA betting partners, including BetMGM, DraftKings and FanDuel, announced they would stop taking bets on the league’s lowest-paid players, according to The Athletic. No “under” bets will be available on two-way players or players on 10-day contracts. Porter was set to earn $56,000 from his short-term contract with the Raptors and the NBA believes these players are most at risk for being corrupted by bettors.
Mollah pleaded in the the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Porter and Long Phi Pham previously pleaded guilty to the same charge. Mollah is scheduled to be sentenced on 2 May 2025 and could face up to 20 years in prison.
Jontay Porter sentencing set for December
Porter is set to be sentenced on 18 December. Federal prosecutors recommended 41-51 months in prison. In addition, Porter will have to pay more than $450,000 in fines and fees. According to the New York Post, Porter was released on $250,000 bond which was put up by his wife and mother.
Pham was released on a $750,000 bond and is set to be sentenced on 25 April 2025.
There are two more gamblers involved in the scam – Ammar Awawdeh and Timothy McCormack. Neither has appeared in court since their arraignments. Awawdeh, according to court documents, suggested a way for Porter to pay down gambling debt.
The suggestion was to do a “special”, or leave a game early to make sure under bets paid. Also revealed is a text that Awawdeh allegedly sent to Porter that reads: “Screenshot this … Me ammar awawdeh born 7/23/91 is forcing [Player 1] to do this.”
Porter allegedly replied with: “If I don’t do a special with your terms. Then it’s up. And u hate me and if I don’t get you 8k by Friday you’re coming to Toronto to beat me up.”
Jontay Porter would have received cut of win
Although Awawdeh did not bet on the games, according to court documents, it appears he did fund Mollah’s bets. In addition, an Awawdeh relative put down $10,000 on an “under” parlay that paid because Porter did not meet the bet’s threshold for three-pointers, assists and steals. The bet paid $85,000 and the profit was $75,000.
Porter, who was banned from the NBA for life in April, stood to get a share of the winnings, which would have been used to pay off debt he owed the co-conspirators. Unusually big bets were placed on both of the games Porter exited. They were flagged by DraftKings and FanDuel, resulting in the investigation that uncovered the scandal.
