A fairly lengthy prison sentence may be awaiting Jontay Porter.
SportsNet reported on Tuesday that the former Toronto Raptors center Porter, who will formally be sentenced in his criminal case later this week, could be getting around four years in jail. The report adds that maximum prison sentence for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which Porter pled guilty to in July, is 20 years. However, prosecutors have estimated that Porter’s sentence will fall in a range of 41 to 51 months.
The 25-year-old Porter, who appeared in 26 games for Toronto last season, was banned from the NBA for life in April after his involvement in a betting scandal was uncovered. NBA officials were alerted to irregularities involving prop bets on Porter, and it was later determined that Porter had disclosed confidential information about his own health status to an individual bettor. The bettor was then able to cash on Porter’s under props for certain games when Porter exited those games early due to injury issues. It was also later revealed that Porter’s gambling involvement was a bit more extensive, including him committing the one cardinal sin of sports betting.
A criminal case against Porter then ensued, which revealed his apparent motivation — he had racked up a gambling debt and was trying to get rid of by tanking his own games. He pled guilty to the conspiracy to commit wire fraud charge (a federal felony) over the summer and also had a subsequent request for leniency denied by a judge.
The NBA has since been working with sportsbooks to make some changes in response to the Porter scandal. But as for Porter himself, he will likely now be getting multiple years in prison for his actions.
