Jontay Porter, the former Toronto Raptor who has been banned for life from the NBA for betting on NBA games and his role in a betting scandal, pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in federal court on Wednesday.
“I know what I did was wrong, unlawful, and I am deeply sorry,” Porter said, via the Associated Press. He added that he did it “to get out from under large gambling debts.”
Porter is free on $250,000 bail, awaiting sentencing in December. Porter told the court that he has undergone treatment for his gambling addiction. Prosecutors in the case are recommending at least 41 months in prison for Porter.
Porter did this as part of a deal with prosecutors to hopefully reduce that sentence. Porter confirmed what the NBA investigation in April found, that he had agreed to exit two different NBA games early, on Jan. 26 and March 20, allowing four men — also arrested in this conspiracy — to bet the under on his performance in those games. The four men (Ammar Awawdeh, Timothy McCormack, Mahmud Mollah and Long Phi Pham) were in court in June but have yet to enter pleas in the case against them. One bettor was supposed to collect more than $1 million before the gambling company stopped it and the situation was investigated.
Porter, who was paid $410,000 this past season, averaged 4.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 26 games for the Raptors.
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