Former Raptors center Jontay Porter faces federal charges in gambling scandal

Former Toronto Raptors center Jontay Porter is set to face federal charges for his involvement in an alleged sports gambling operation. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, Porter is expected to plead guilty on July 10.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn has filed a felony charge against Porter, confirmed by their spokesperson. A recent federal court filing indicates Porter will be the defendant in a case brought by the Department of Justice, though an arrest warrant has not been issued, The Athletic reported.

Last month, four men were charged with conspiracy to defraud a sports betting company. While Porter was not initially named as a defendant, he was identified as "Player 1" in the criminal complaint. The NBA banned Porter in April, alleging that he intentionally underperformed in games to benefit bettors who wagered on his performance.

The federal complaint alleges that Porter, facing significant gambling debts, conspired with others to win bets placed on his prop bets during games on January 26 and March 20.

The NBA, in a statement released in April, disclosed that Porter shared confidential details about his health status with an individual known to be an NBA bettor ahead of a game against the Sacramento Kings on March 20.

Subsequently, another individual, also identified as an NBA bettor, placed an $80,000 parlay proposition bet through an online sportsbook, aiming to win $1.1 million by betting that Porter would underperform in the aforementioned game.

Porter, who played merely three minutes against Sacramento, cited feeling ill. However, the suspicious betting activity and Porter's actions led to the freezing of the bet, preventing its payout.

Concerns about the unusual bets during the March 20 game were raised by licensed sports betting operators and a legal betting market monitoring organization, prompting the NBA's attention.

Furthermore, the NBA revealed that Porter, the sibling of Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., placed at least 13 bets on NBA games between January and March while traveling with the Raptors or their G League affiliate.

These bets varied in size from $15 to $22,000, totaling $54,904. Porter's total winnings from these bets amounted to $21,965, with none of the wagers involving games in which he participated.

Three of the wagers placed by Porter were multi-game parlay bets, including one on a Raptors game, where he bet that Toronto would lose.

Porter’s involvement is documented in text messages where he discussed his plans to underperform to help clear his debts. The Daily News suggests Porter will likely be charged through an "information" document, typically used when a defendant plans to plead guilty at the outset.

Additionally, the Ontario Provincial Police have initiated a criminal investigation into the illegal gambling scheme. Although no charges have been filed in Canada, the investigation is ongoing.

Porter was in his first season with the Raptors on a two-way contract and appeared in 26 games before his suspension.