![NBA – Brooklyn man arrested in sports betting scheme with banned NBA player Jontay Porter NBA – Brooklyn man arrested in sports betting scheme with banned NBA player Jontay Porter](https://i3.wp.com/nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/COMP-GettyImages-2084809770.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1024&w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1)
NBA
Published June 4, 2024 at 6:09 pm ET
A Brooklyn man was arrested for allegedly consorting with a former Toronto Raptors forward, who was banned for life for sports betting, to place bets on games he knew the disgraced NBA player was going to throw, the feds said Tuesday. .
Long Phi Pham, 38, also known as “Bruce,” was captured Monday while trying to board a flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Australia on a one-way ticket, according to a complaint filed in federal court in Brooklyn. .
Former Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter received a lifetime ban from the NBA for betting on games earlier this year. KeynoteUSA
He is accused of working with Jontay Porter, 24, to place “prop bets,” also known as a proposition, or bet placed on a player’s performance, such as betting on more or less than a certain statistical category, such as points or rebounds. .
Federal prosecutors allege that Porter had racked up large gambling debts earlier in the year with co-conspirators, and that he was encouraged to pay off those debts by quitting games so that certain bets would go well.
In this case, Porter, an official between the Raptors and their G-League affiliate, allegedly told Pham he was leaving the Jan. 26 game against the Los Angeles Clippers early, claiming he was injured, the feds said. .
Porter played just four minutes in the game and recorded zero points, three rebounds and one assist before leaving with a suspected eye injury, and an accomplice in the case placed a parlay bet, cashing in on a $10,000 bet by betting the next in each of those statistical categories, according to the complaint.
The disgraced NBA player allegedly communicated with the group of conspirators via the group chat app Telegram when he notified them before another game, this time on March 20 against the Sacramento Kings, claiming he was going to say that he was sick to leave a game early. .
An image taken from Pham’s phone of the co-conspirators sitting together in an Atlantic City casino restaurant on March 20. United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York
Pham and others allegedly agreed to share the proceeds of their winnings with Porter before placing several bets on his performance at a casino in Atlantic City.
Porter then left the game due to illness after just three minutes, recording zero points, three rebounds and zero assists, netting Pham and his co-conspirators more than $1 million in profits, the feds charge.
The scheme was devised with prop bets, also known as a proposition, which is a bet placed on a player’s performance, such as betting on more or less of a certain statistical category such as points or rebounds. NBAE via /Keynote USA/Getty Images
Later, on April 4, the same day Porter was banned for life from basketball for betting on games, he allegedly texted the group chat and told them they “could get hit wa rico,” referring to a charge of extortion, before asking. They do “delete all the stuff” from their personal cell phones.
During its investigation, the NBA said Porter, the brother of Denver Nuggets star Michael Porter Jr., placed at least 13 bets on NBA Games using another person’s account, with bets ranging from $15 to $22,000.
The league found that Porter was “better disclosing confidential information to sports” and “limiting his own participation in one or more games for betting purposes.”
The allegations against Porter, who is not identified in Pham’s complaint, match the description of “Player 1” in court documents.
The feds are looking for three more people who remain at large.
Pham attempted to leave the country by booking a one-way ticket to Australia a day after the government attempted to question him, according to the complaint.
He was arrested at JFK Airport with a bag full of $12,000 in cash, two cashier’s checks worth $80,000 and several betting slips, according to the complaint.
Pham was arraigned Tuesday on wire fraud charges and faces up to 20 years in prison.
A bail hearing for Pham has been set for Wednesday.
Pham’s attorney, Michael Soshnick, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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