Jontay Porter to Be Charged with Felony in Betting Scandal After Lifetime NBA Ban

Former Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter will be charged with a federal felony after a sports betting scandal resulted in a lifetime ban from the NBA, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN).

According to the Associated Press, federal prosecutors in Brooklyn filed a criminal information sheet Tuesday, and though the document doesn't specify the charges or a court date, it shows the case is related to the existing prosecution of the four men involved in the betting scandal.

The four men, Ammar Awawdeh, Timothy McCormack, Mahmud Mollah and Long Phi Pham, were charged with scheming to profit off prior knowledge of the player's plans to exit two games early.

The league's investigation into Porter found that the 25-year-old "disclosed confidential information about his own health status to an individual he knew to be an NBA bettor" before a March 20 game. Another bettor associated with Porter placed an $80,000 bet to win $1.1 million on Porter underperforming in the March 20 game.

The investigation also found that Porter had claimed to be ill in the March 20 game and he only played three minutes. The NBA also found that Porter placed at least 13 bets on NBA games from January through March of this year.

Last month, Porter's lawyer said that Porter had been "in over his head due to a gambling addiction" and is receiving treatment and cooperating with law enforcement, per the Associated Press.

Porter, who played just 26 games last season, averaged 3.7 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. Undrafted in 2019, Porter, who is the younger brother of Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., played just 37 games with the Memphis Grizzlies and Raptors.