Former NBA player Jontay Porter pleads guilty to wire fraud conspiracy in connection to gambling case, prosecutors say
By Michelle Watson, CNN
(CNN) — Former NBA player Jontay Porter pleaded guilty Wednesday to wire fraud conspiracy and was released on a $250,000 bond, according to a spokesperson with the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, in a case stemming from an alleged betting scheme.
“Estimated sentencing guidelines are 41-51 months, max sentence for wire fraud conspiracy is 20 years,” the spokesperson told CNN in an email. Porter’s bond was signed for by his wife and mother, the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson confirmed Porter’s guilty plea was connected to a gambling case in which four other people have also been implicated. A federal complaint filed last month against one of those individuals accused him of conspiring with three others to defraud a sports betting company by using inside information from an NBA player to successfully bet on the performance of that player.
That complaint referred to the player as “Player 1,” but CNN determined at the time that the player is Porter, who played for the Toronto Raptors before being banned from the NBA in April for violating the league’s gambling rules.
Jeff Jensen, an attorney for Porter, said, “I have nothing to add to my previous comments about the case.” Jensen has not previously responded to CNN’s requests for comment.
Porter is expected to be sentenced on December 18, according to the Eastern District of New York.
The-CNN-Wire
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