A Brooklyn man was arrested Monday in connection with the sports betting scheme that resulted in the lifetime NBA ban for former Toronto Raptors center Jontay Porter. According to a report from the New York Post, police apprehended 38-year-old Long Phi Pham at the John F. Kennedy Airport in Queens, New York.
Pham was attempting to board a one-way flight to Australia. He is accused of working with Porter to place prop bets on certain games for which he would throw the outcome. Porter allegedly communicated with Pham and the other co-conspirators through the Telegram app.
Federal prosecutors allege that Porter had accrued large gambling debts in the beginning of the year to the co-conspirators, who then encouraged him to throw games to pay it off. Pham and others allegedly agreed to then share their winnings with Porter.
Pham was reportedly trying to leave the country after being interviewed about the sports betting scheme the day prior. Police discovered a bag filled with $12,000 in cash as well as two cashier’s checks worth $80,000 on his person at the time of the arrest. He was arraigned on wire fraud charges Tuesday and faces up to 20 years in prison.
Police are still looking for three other people involved in the Jontay Porter betting scheme who remain at large.
Porter allegedly faked injury to ensure his props hit the under
Beginning in a Jan. 26 matchup against the LA Clippers, there was an increased amount of bets on the under for Porter’s props, which were set at 5.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 0.5 3-pointers.
Porter played only four minutes that night before leaving the game with a reaggravation of an eye injury he suffered four days earlier against the Grizzlies. He hit the under on all of his props.
DraftKings reported that the under on Porter’s 3-pointer prop was the biggest winner from any game that day. Porter returned to the lineup two days later and played 19 minutes, recording 12 points and seven rebounds.
On another game in question on March 20 vs. the Phoenix Suns, Porter entered the contest with over/unders set at 7.5 points and 5.5 rebounds. He played three minutes before leaving the game with an illness and never returning. That night reportedly made Pham and the other co-conspirators more than $1 million.
The NBA became aware of the increased interest on Porter’s props after that game and launched an investigation into Porter. He received a lifetime ban on April 4 and reportedly texted the group after asking if they had deleted all of the info from their cell phones.
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