Former NBA player Jontay Porter is set to appear in court on Wednesday for a federal criminal case linked to a betting scandal that led to his banishment from the league earlier this year.
Court documents indicate that Porter, previously with the Toronto Raptors, is scheduled for an arraignment and a hearing on a “plea agreement.” Prosecutors have not specified the exact charge or charges, but have stated in brief court filings that it involves a felony.
Porter’s attorney has not responded to requests for comment since the court documents were filed last week. Earlier, the lawyer mentioned that Porter was cooperating with authorities while receiving treatment for a gambling addiction.
Last week’s court filing indicated that Porter’s case is connected to an ongoing prosecution involving four other individuals. These men have been accused of conspiring to commit wire fraud but have not yet entered pleas.
According to court documents filed in June, these individuals allegedly schemed to profit from inside information provided by an NBA player who planned to leave two games early. They reportedly used this information to place lucrative bets on the player performing poorly in those games.
While the complaint did not identify the player, it noted that he had spoken with investigators in hopes of securing a plea deal and reduced sentence if charged criminally.
As detailed in the complaint, one of the four men pressured the player to resolve gambling debts by leaving games early, ensuring that bets predicting his poor performance would pay off. In response to instructions from one of the men, the player reportedly wrote a message indicating that failure to comply would result in threats of physical harm.
