Exiled from the NBA, the next phase of Jontay Porter’s life is coming into view.
Porter pleaded guilty Wednesday to a single count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The charge in Brooklyn Federal Court stemmed from Porter conspiring with gamblers to rig bets on himself. Before the feds got involved, a league investigation found that Porter had intentionally removed himself from two games after large bets were placed for his unders in those games.
Federal prosecutors have produced texts between Porter and four co-conspirators demonstrating the scheme. The other four men have also been charged in the case.
In announcing the charges against one man, prosecutors published a text message from Porter in which he said they “might just get hit w a rico,” meaning a racketeering charge.
“I know what I did was wrong and unlawful, and I am deeply sorry for my conduct,” Porter said in court Wednesday, according to the New York Daily News.
Porter has previously blamed his reckless behavior on a gambling addiction. He had bet millions of dollars between 2021 and ’23.
The former Toronto Raptor could face between three and four years in prison, according to federal sentencing guidelines. The four alleged co-conspirators have not yet entered pleas in the case. One of them was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York in June with tens of thousands of dollars in cash and cashier’s checks on him.
