Former Raptors forward Jontay Porter's alleged betting accomplice arrested

Brooklyn man linked to banned NBA player Jontay Porter charged with gambling fraud conspiracy

A New York man was arrested on suspicion of betting on Jontay Porter on games the Toronto Raptors forward was trying to lose in a sports betting scheme, federal prosecutors said Tuesday June 4.

Long Phi “Bruce” Pham, a 38-year-old man from Brooklyn, was arrested Monday after being arrested at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. He was reportedly about to board a one-way flight to Australia before authorities arrested him and charged him with conspiracy to defraud a sports betting company.

Porter, 24, was banned for life from the NBA in April for “disclosing confidential information to sports bettors, limiting his own participation in one or more games for betting purposes and betting on NBA games.” .

Porter allegedly owed large sums of money to Pham and three others due to sports betting losses, and the co-conspirators told Porter he could get rid of those debts by leaving games early to ensure that the prop bets – on him – were cashed.

The other three accomplices have not yet been apprehended.

Federal prosecutors said Pham knew Porter was going to walk out of Toronto's game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Jan. 26, leading him to place bets tied to Porter's performance that were sure to succeed. Porter played four minutes and did not score, exiting with what he said was an eye injury.

Pham and the three suspects still at large made more than $1 million in profits, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Bets were also made on Porter for a March 20 game against the Sacramento Kings, a contest Pham and the co-conspirators allegedly bet on at a casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Porter left that game after three scoreless minutes, citing illness. – Rappler.com