Former Toronto Raptors center Jontay Porter was permanently banned from the NBA in April after an investigation revealed he limited his participation in games in order to help associates win their bets on Porter’s player props, in addition to Porter betting on league games himself.
On Tuesday, one of those associates was charged in the scheme, and the criminal complaint alleges Porter’s co-conspirators encouraged him to participate after he amassed large gambling debts to them.
According to federal prosecutors, Long Phi “Bruce” Pham of Brooklyn placed bets on Porter to underperform against the Los Angeles Clippers on Jan. 26 after Porter told him he would leave the game early.
The scheme helped a co-conspirator win $40,250.
Porter also allegedly communicated with the group through the Telegram app before his game against the Sacramento Kings on March 20, which he left after just three minutes. Pham and his co-conspirators netted over $1 million in the scheme, per the complaint.
Pham was arrested Monday at JFK Airport in New York trying to board a one-way flight to Australia, according to the complaint. Three other co-conspirators charged in the case remain at-large.
