A Brooklyn man was charged Tuesday with involvement in an alleged illegal sports betting scheme involving Jontay Porter, a former Toronto Raptors player who was banned from the NBA after betting on his own team to lose.
After allegedly accumulating large gambling debts to co-conspirators in the alleged scheme, Porter (referred to in the complaint as “Player 1”) was encouraged to pay off those debts by withdrawing early from certain games to ensure that bets on his performance were successful.
According to federal prosecutors in Brooklyn, Long Phi “Bruce” Pham, who knew of Porter's plans to drop out of the game, bet on his performance in the Raptors' game against the LA Clippers on January 26.
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Shortly before that game, according to prosecutors, Porter told Pham he would leave the game early because he was injured. A co-conspirator then won $40,250.
Pham, 38, was arrested at New York's JFK airport on Monday as he attempted to board a flight to Australia on a one-way ticket, the criminal complaint said. A warrant was issued for his arrest on Tuesday pending trial on charges of conspiracy to defraud a sports betting operator.
Three unnamed co-conspirators charged in the plot remain at large. It is unclear whether Porter, 24, is facing criminal charges.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Pham and his co-conspirators made a total profit of over one million dollars.
“Whether on the court or in the casino, every point counts,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said in a statement. “As alleged, the defendant and his co-conspirators, as well as an NBA player, participated in a brazen, illegal betting scheme that corrupted two games and numerous bets.”
“This indictment should serve as a warning that fraud and dishonesty will not be tolerated in professional sports and that those who engage in this blatant disregard for the law will be prosecuted.”
Before a game against the Sacramento Kings on March 20, Pham and co-conspirators discussed in a Telegram group chat that Porter would again leave the field early because he allegedly felt ill, the criminal complaint states.
Pham and his co-conspirators met at an Atlantic City casino and placed several bets on Porter, who withdrew from the March game after playing just three minutes and recording 0 points, 3 rebounds and 0 assists.
On April 4, in a group chat between Porter and the conspirators, Porter wrote to the group that they “might just get hit wa rico,” referring to an organized crime charge, and asked if the group chat participants had “deleted.”[d] all that stuff” from their personal cell phones, the complaint states.
Porter was suspended by the NBA on April 17 following an investigation.
Aaron Katersky is a senior investigative reporter at ABC News.
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