The 2024 Jontay Porter betting scandal led to more charges on Sunday.
Shane Hennen was arrested at the Las Vegas airport and charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, according to a report from The Athletic.
Hennen received text messages that the former Toronto Raptors center, who has been banned from the NBA, was going to manipulate his playing time. Hennen used that information to place multiple wagers, leading to the defrauding of an unnamed sportsbook.
Porter, who took part in the scandal to pay off gambling debts, pled guilty to his role in July 2024 and is scheduled to be sentenced in May. Three other co-conspirators were also arrested and charged with committing wire fraud in June 2024.
Text messages
According to the report, Hennen received the screenshot of a text message from Porter saying he was having his eye examined during a January 22 game and that he likely would not be playing anymore that game.
“But if it’s garbage time, I will shoot a million shots,” Porter followed up in the text message obtained by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Hours before a January 26 game, Porter informed two co-conspirators that he would take himself out of the contest due to injury.
“Hit unders for the big numbers,” Porter wrote in the text. “I told (co-conspirator 2) no blocks no steals. I’m going to play first 2-3 minute stint off the bench then when I get subbed out tell them my eye killing me again.”
One of the men Porter informed sent that information to Hennen, who bet $3,700 through an unnamed proxy that Porter would record less than 4.5 rebounds that night. Porter had three rebounds, no points, no steals, and no blocks in four minutes of action.
Before a Raptors game on March 20, Hennen was informed that Porter would again manipulate his playing time. Hennen wagered $2,400 that Porter would go under his point total in the game. The former Raptor scored no points and only played three minutes.
Prosecutors alleged in the complaint that Hennen was told not to share the inside information, but it is believed that he did pass it along to other people.
Long-running saga
The man who sent Hennen the information has pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, according to the complaint. Long Phi Pham, also known as Bruce, is one of the co-conspirators named in the case.
Pham pled guilty to the wire fraud conspiracy in October and was released on a $750,000 bond. His sentencing is scheduled for April, and Pham could face up to 20 years in prison.
Timothy McCormack and Mahmud Mollah are the other two men who have been charged. There was a fourth name redacted when the U.S. Attorney’s Office first filed the complaint.
The saga began in April 2024 after an NBA investigation found that Porter had violated the league’s gambling policy by manipulating games, associating with known bettors, and placing wagers on NBA games, including Raptor contests while he was out with an injury.
