One of the co-conspirators in the betting scandal that got former pro basketball player Jontay Porter banned from the NBA pleaded guilty to a wire fraud charge on Wednesday.
Long Phi Pham, who goes by Bruce, admitted to scheming sports betting operators during a hearing at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, according to a court document obtained by the Associated Press.
The bettor's conspiring to commit wire fraud charge came from a plot in which Porter manipulated playing time so bettors could cash in on his player prop unders.
Pham, who was released on a $750,000 bond, will be sentenced in federal court on April 25 and could face no jail time or up to 20 years for his involvement in the scandal, prosecutors told the AP.
The charges
Pham was arrested on June 3 at JFK Airport while he was trying to flee the U.S. with a one-way ticket to Australia. Pham also had bags filled with $12,000 in cash and two cashier's checks worth $80,000.
Three other men – Timothy McCormack, Mahmud Mollah, and a fourth unnamed defendant – have also been implicated and face wire fraud in a scandal that cost Porter his NBA career with the Toronto Raptors.
The group conspired with Porter, who was not named in the criminal complaint filed in June, to allegedly pay off large gambling debts by having him claim injury and illness to exit two games early.
The scandal
The first incident occurred on Jan. 26 when Porter left a game against the Los Angeles Clippers four minutes in because of a reaggravated eye injury. He had no points, no 3-pointers made or steals, and recorded one assist with three rebounds.
A relative of a co-conspirator made $75,000 after wagering under on Porter’s props while another co-conspirator cashed in for $40,250 on a $7,000 parlay.
Pham and the co-conspirators set up another manipulation through the mobile messaging app Telegram for a game on March 20 against the Sacramento Kings.
The bettors linked up in Atlantic City and placed several large wagers, accumulating more than $1 million in winnings after Porter removed himself from the game claiming illness. He had no points or assists and grabbed three rebounds in three minutes.
More to come
Porter warned the group that they could get hit with racketeering charges and the group should delete all messages, according to the criminal complaint.
McCormack and Mollah were charged the same week as Pham. An NBA investigation found that Porter had violated the league’s gambling policy by manipulting games, associating with known bettors, and placing wagers on NBA games, including his own team when he was out.
Porter received a ban from the NBA in April. He was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and pleaded guilty in July. Porter’s sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 18.
