Former Raptors Center Jontay Porter To Be Sentenced On Criminal Charges

Former Toronto Raptors center Jontay Porter will be sentenced to at least a prison term and will face other punishments, according to an expert in gaming law.

Porter is set to have a sentence hearing on Wednesday at a federal courthouse in Brooklyn, New York. Porter pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud on July 10 after admitting to competitive manipulation in two NBA games.

He is expected to be severely punished even though he has cooperated with U.S. authorities, according to Peter Czegledy, a partner at Aird and Berlis who chairs the Toronto law firm’s gaming group.

Porter saw extended paying time in January when Raptors starting center Jakob Poeltl was out with an injured ankle.

Porter used his playing time to manipulate the betting market, faking injury and illness to remove himself from games on Jan. 26 and March 20. He played fewer than five minutes and scored no points in both of them. This ensured that bettors who took the under on his bets would win their wagers.

For such an act, the maximum prison sentence is 20 years, but prosecutors have estimated Porter’s sentence to fall in a range from 41 to 51 months.

“This is a young man who has managed to achieve an incredibly difficult task — to play professionally with the best in the world in his chosen sport. However, that is now an empty achievement,” Czegledy said. “Apart from the criminal proceedings, the NBA has banned him for life, the most severe penalty possible, and one meted out very rarely.

A spokesperson for the Raptors did not want to comment on Porter’s upcoming sentencing.

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