A gambler pleaded guilty Wednesday in the sports betting scandal that led to NBA player Jontay Porter being kicked out of the league earlier this year.
Long Phi Pham, also known as Bruce Pham, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud, admitting to conspiring to defraud sports betting companies, according to prosecutors and court documents. He could face anything from no prison time to 20 years in prison at his sentencing, which is set for April 25 in federal court in Brooklyn, New York.
Messages seeking comment were sent to his lawyers.
Pham and three other men were indicted in June for conspiring to get money from secret plans for a player who said he was ill to leave two games early. The drawdown guarantees a payout to anyone who bets that he underperforms.
The complaint did not reveal the player’s name, but the details identified him as Porter, who was banned for life by the NBA in April after conducting its own investigation.
One of Pham’s co-defendants persuaded the athlete to withdraw from the games, according to the court complaint. The document said the conspirators were in a position to collect more than $1 million – and share it with the player – before the betting company smelled a rat and blocked the collection of more money.
The Jontay Porter scandal raises questions about the NBA’s accountability for sports betting
Pham, 30, was arrested as he boarded a flight to Australia with about $12,000 in cash, days after learning of the investigation, prosecutors said at the time. They suggested the Brooklyn resident was trying to evade them, but his attorney said Pham is a professional poker player and was attending a tournament.
Porter, who ended up with the Toronto Raptors, pleaded guilty in July to conspiracy to defraud. He told the court that his gambling debts led him to put them on the bench so the conspirators could win the bet.
Porter pulled out of two games last winter after playing a few minutes and saying he was injured or sick. In both seasons, his points, rebounds and assists fell below sportsbook predictions.
He now awaits sentencing, which is scheduled for Dec. 18.
Three of Pham’s co-defendants never entered their pleas.
It is reported by the Associated Press.
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