Ex-Raptors player Jontay Porter pleads guilty in case tied to gambling scandal

Former NBA player Jontay Porter on Wednesday pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a federal criminal case tied to the betting scandal that got him banned from the league earlier this year.

The former Toronto Raptors centre entered the plea at his arraignment in a New York federal court and was set to be released on bond of $250,000 US.

His lawyer had previously said Porter was co-operating with authorities while being treated for a gambling addiction.

Court papers showed the case against Porter is related to an ongoing prosecution of four other men. The four have been arraigned on a charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud but haven't yet entered any pleas.

Those men are charged with scheming to profit off tips from an NBA player that he was going to exit two games early. They or their relatives used the knowledge to place big-winning bets that the athlete would do poorly in those games, according to a court complaint filed when they were charged in June.

The complaint didn't name the player, but details matched up with an NBA investigation that spurred Porter's banishment from the league this spring. The league found that he gambled on NBA games and gave bettors confidential information about his health.

In court Wednesday, Porter said he agreed to withdraw early from games to get out from under large gambling debts so he and co-conspirators could win bets on his performance. "I know what I did was wrong, unlawful, and I am deeply sorry," he said.

Porter is set to be sentenced Dec. 18. He could face from just under three and a half years in prison to a little over four years. He's also likely to be assessed hundreds of thousands of dollars in restitution, plus potential fines.

According to the