Brooklyn player charged with sports betting fraud involving NBA player, Raptor Jontay Porter likely banned

NEW YORK — A money-hungry gambler conspired with a former NBA player, likely Jontay Porter of the Toronto Raptors, to fix two basketball games this year as part of a sports betting scheme that attracted widespread attention, prosecutors alleged Tuesday.

Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn charged 38-year-old Long Phi Pham, who was described in court as one of the top 1% of poker players in the world, with conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with the scheme.

Although Porter is not named in the indictment against Pham, a number of facts in the court filing suggest that he is the NBA player recruited for the plot. Prosecutors even cite the NBA's April 17 press release announcing Porter's lifetime ban.

The indictment against Pham states that “Player 1” accumulated “significant gambling debts” with other members of the conspiracy and agreed to leave two games early so that players who had bet on his performance could win big, authorities allege.

On January 22, “Player 1” allegedly suffered an eye injury during a game and was diagnosed with a corneal abrasion – but he was not placed on the NBA's injured list, authorities claim.

He told Pham he would withdraw from his team's Jan. 26 game against the LA Clippers, which he did after playing just four minutes and recording zero points, three rebounds and one assist, prosecutors said.

He told team officials that he had re-aggravated the eye injury, after which one of the co-conspirators won $40,250 on a $7,000 bet, while a relative of one of the co-conspirators won $85,000 on a $10,000 bet, according to federal authorities.

Player 1 also left a March 20 game after just three minutes, which Pham and his colleagues knew about in advance, authorities allege. They planned their bets in a Telegram group chat, with Pham receiving 24% of the proceeds, and in total they made more than $1 million in “under-prop” bets, authorities allege.

The allegations against Player 1 follow statements made by the NBA regarding Porter. The NBA launched an investigation into Porter after the March 20 game and concluded that he “violated league rules by disclosing confidential information to sports bettors, limiting his own attendance at one or more games for betting purposes and placing bets on NBA games,” the league said in the April 17 statement.

On April 4, Player 1 warned his co-conspirators that they “might be caught red-handed,” authorities claim.

Porter is the second person to be kicked out of the NBA under Adam Silver, who became commissioner in 2014. The first was former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling after he was caught on tape making racist comments.

He is not accused of conspiracy.

A day after investigators tried to question one of his co-conspirators, Pham booked a one-way ticket to Australia, Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Weintraub said Tuesday at his arraignment in federal court in Brooklyn. Police officers arrested him Monday as he boarded his plane at JFK airport. He was carrying about $12,000 in cash, two cashier's checks totaling $80,000, a set of betting slips and three cellphones, according to the indictment.

“Whether on the court or in the casino, every point counts. As alleged, the defendant and his co-conspirators, as well as an NBA player, participated in a brazen, illegal betting scheme that corrupted two games and numerous bets,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace.

Pham, wearing a gray “Jordan” sweatshirt, denied having the cashier's check with him at his arraignment. He told Judge Cheryl Pollack, after she warned him to let his lawyer speak, “I don't need to speak to my lawyer. There is no $80,000 cashier's check, and if there is, you can put me in handcuffs right now.”

Weintraub pointed out that prosecutors had photos of the bank checks.

Pham's attorney, Michael Soshnick, tried to get him released on bail posted by his three sisters, but Weintraub objected, saying one of the sisters “may be involved in money laundering activities.” He also said Pham was involved in organized illegal poker games.

Judge Cheryl Pollack denied Pham's request for bail but allowed him to reapply on Wednesday with more suitable sureties.

“You'll find that no charges were ever filed against this sister,” Soshnick said. “The government prosecuted my client's family for engaging in illegal activities, and I was offended. … These are all good people.”