New details have emerged regarding former Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter’s legal case stemming from his involvement in an illegal gambling scandal.
Porter pleaded guilty on Wednesday at an arraignment in New York on a charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, according to Jennifer Peltz of The Associated Press. Porter confessed during the court hearing that he had agreed to leave games early in order to get out from under extensive gambling debts.
“I know what I did was wrong, unlawful, and I am deeply sorry,” Porter told the court.
Porter’s sentencing is set for Dec. 18. Under the charge, he faces up to about four years in prison and will likely be forced to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in restitution and fines.
Porter’s plea and confession essentially confirms earlier reporting that Porter was trying to pay off gambling debts by claiming injury and leaving games early. In doing so, Porter ensured that he failed to hit the over on a number of prop bets, and Porter’s co-conspirators had advance notice of this.
The 24-year-old Porter played 37 games during his NBA career for Memphis and Toronto before he was banned for life for his role in the scandal.
