Federal prosecutors are planning to file charges against Jontay porter for his role in the betting scandal which led him to be banned from the NBA. Porter’s case was listed on the federal docket of a court on Wednesday, 3 July. This is according to New York Daily News.
The Daily News reported that the US Department of Justice will file felony charges. Porter has been accused of fixing games in an illegal gambling scam. In this case, four others were arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit fraud by wire.
The Daily News reported that Porter would likely face charges “through an information document rather than an indictment”. This is what happens typically when suspects plan to plead guilty at the beginning of the case.
Porter is accused of removing himself from the two Toronto Raptors matches to enable bettors win “under” prop wagers. DraftKings notified the NBA of suspicious activities after two games, on 26 January and 22, March. Four people were arrested for gambling on these games.
Ontario police also investigating
Porter may face more charges. ESPN announced on 18 June that Ontario Provincial Police opened an investigation to determine if the gambling scheme was illegal. No charges have yet been brought.
Porter is not named in a New York complaint which identifies the four players who placed bets on these games. The complaint refers to Porter as “Player 1,” but dates, other details and the complaints all match and indicate that he is the person in question.
Porter is owed money by one or more gamblers, according to the complaint. Although it appears that this was the case, it is not clear if anyone was acting as an illicit bookmaker. Porter was “forced” to quit the game early by gamblers who wanted to win. The text messages in the complaint indicate that Porter paid off debts by his actions.
Since April, three pro-athletes have been banned from competition for the rest of their lives.
The affidavit reads: “Screenshot This… Me Ammar Awdeh, born 7/23/91, is forcing [Player1] to do that.” Porter is said to have replied: “If you don’t want me to do something special, I will not accept your terms.” It’s over. “You hate me, and you are coming to Toronto to get me beaten up if I do not reach 8k dollars by Friday.”
The NBA launched an investigation after the suspicions were raised. On 17 April, commissioner Adam Silver banned Porter for life. This was the first ever lifetime gambling ban in NBA history.
Porter is the first professional athlete in North America and Canada who has been banned from his league for the rest of their lives. Shawn Lemmon, three-time Grey Cup champion and former head of the Canadian Football League was banned from their league on 24 April for placing bets against his team. On 4 June Major League Baseball also banned San Diego Padres’ infielder Tucupita Marcano from playing for his team after he bet on it. When the bets were made, he was playing with Pittsburgh.
Operators in both cases reported any suspicious activities to professional leagues. Lemmon’s wagering was not legalized in Canada at the time he was charged.
