Former NBA player Jontay Porter , who was banned from the league for life after he gambled on games he participated in as a member of the Toronto Raptors, has pleaded guilty to a charge of wire fraud conspiracy in connection to the scandal. Porter, who was charged along with four co-conspirators earlier this month by prosecutors in Brooklyn, entered the guilty plea at a court hearing Wednesday. The disgraced player, the brother of Denver Nuggets star Michael Porter Jr.
, faced a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison if found guilty at trial. However, The Associated Press reports that a punishment between three-and-a-half years to just over four years is expected when sentencing takes place on Dec. 18, 2024.
As part of his plea agreement, Porter will not appeal any sentence under five years, ABC News reports . “I knew what I did was wrong and unlawful and I’m deeply sorry for my conduct,” Porter told the judge. His lawyer added that Porter became addicted to gambling and amassed large debts prior to the scheme to derail his own performance in games to benefit his co-conspirators.
In April, following a league investigation spurred by a legal sports betting operator, the NBA accused Porter of violating the league’s rules against gambling, claiming he’d given info to sports bettors and taken himself out of games to help his co-conspirators secure “unders” on prop bets based on his performance. In a March 20 game between the Raptors and the Sacramento Kings, Porter pl.
