Former Raptors Center Now Facing Felony Charges

Former Toronto Raptors center Jontay Porter will face federal felony charges concerning the betting scandal that saw him banned from the NBA.

According to the Associated Press, federal prosecutors in Brooklyn have filed charges against Porter who was named as the defendant in a case brought by the Department of Justice.

Porter had previously gone unnamed as charges were brought against four other co-conspirators who allegedly coerced Porter into manipulating his on-court performance as part of a gambling scheme.

The 24-year-old was officially banned from the NBA earlier this year after the league found Porter violated league rules by disclosing confidential information to sports bettors, limiting his own participation in one or more games for betting purposes, and bet on NBA games.

According to a court complaint, Porter amassed a significant gambling debt and was encouraged to perform a “special” by intentionally exiting games early. On January 26 and March 20, Porter exited two Raptors games due to what he claimed were health problems. In both instances, the co-conspirators had placed significant wagers on Porter to underperform his expected stats.

Porter is reportedly being investigated by the Ontario Provincial Police for his involvement in the scheme, ESPN reported last month.

The 6-foot-11 center appeared in 26 games for Toronto this past season while playing on a two-way contract for the Raptors. He made five starts for the organization replacing the injured Jakob Poeltl before returning his role as a backup big.

Porter is no longer a member of the Raptors organization.