Former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter is facing a felony charge in the United States related to the sports betting scandal that resulted in his NBA lifetime ban, as reported by The Associated Press.
According to federal prosecutors in Brooklyn, Porter has been named in a criminal information sheet, indicating that at least one federal charge is forthcoming. Canadian authorities are also conducting a criminal investigation into Porter. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York informed The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov that Porter is expected to plead guilty to the charge on July 10.
Although the specific charge is not mentioned in the document, it is linked to a case involving four individuals charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection to Porter’s scandal. These four men have not yet entered pleas in their case.
The NBA found that Porter intentionally limited his involvement in two games earlier in the season to impact bets made on his performance. He also shared confidential health information with a known NBA bettor before one game and placed several bets on NBA games using someone else’s betting account while traveling with the Raptors and their G League affiliate. None of the bets were on games in which he played, but he did bet on the Raptors, according to the league, leading to his lifetime ban.
Porter’s lawyer stated that Porter was struggling with a gambling addiction and is cooperating with the investigation while seeking help. Porter, the brother of Denver Nuggets star Michael Porter Jr., played 26 games for the Raptors on a two-way contract before his suspension.