A Brooklyn man was busted for allegedly teaming up with a former Toronto Raptors forward — who was banned for life for sports gambling — to place bets on games he knew the disgraced NBA player was going to throw, the feds said Tuesday.
Long Phi Pham, 38, also known as “Bruce,” was nabbed Monday while trying to board a flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Australia on a one-way ticket, according to a complaint filed in Brooklyn federal court.
He is accused of working with Jontay Porter, 24, to place “prop bets” — also known as a proposition, or a wager placed on a player’s performance, like betting on the over or under of a certain statistical category such as points or rebounds.
Federal prosecutors allege that Porter had racked up large gambling debts in the beginning of the year to co-conspirators, and was encouraged to clear those debts by throwing games in order for certain bets to hit.
In this case, Porter, a journeyman between the Raptors and their G-League affiliate, allegedly told Pham that he was going to take himself out early from the Jan. 26 game against the Los Angeles Clippers, claiming he was injured, the feds said.
Porter played just four minutes in the game and recorded a zero points, three rebounds and one assist before leaving with a purported eye injury, and a co-conspirator in the case placed a parlay prop bet, cashing in on a $10,000 wager by betting the under on each of those statistical categories, according to the complaint.
The disgraced NBA player allegedly communicated with the group of co-conspirators through the Telegram group chat app when he notified them before another game — this time on March 20 against the Sacramento Kings — claiming that going to say he was sick to leave a game early.
Pham and others allegedly agreed to share profits from their winnings with Porter before they placed several bets on his performance at a casino in Atlantic City.
Porter then bowed out of the game due to illness after just three minutes, recording zero points, three rebounds and zero assists — which netted Pham and his co-conspirators over $1 million in profits, the feds charge.
What to know about Jontay Porter's alleged gambling scheme
Jontay Porter, 24, was a forward for the Toronto Raptors before being banned from the NBA for life in April for allegedly manipulating his participation in a game to influence the outcome of a bet and also bet on NBA games.
The NBA said its investigation found that Porter was “disclosing confidential information to sports bettors” and “limiting his own participation in one or more games for betting purposes.”
Long Phi Pham, 38, was arrested on June 4 in connection with Porter’s sports gambling activity. Federal prosecutors are arguing that Porter was telling Pham how he planned to perform in games in order for Pham to place certain bets on those particular games.
Two more suspects were arrested in the scheme on June 6. Mahmud Mollah, 24, from Philadelphia, was hit with conspiracy to commit wire fraud charges after he cashed in on $1.13 million in bets from the two rigged games that led to Porter receiving a lifetime ban from the NBA.
Mollah was joined in Brooklyn Federal Court by New York native Timothy McCormack, 36, who faces the same charges.
The two men, alongside Pham, are believed to have made an agreement with Porter to share their gambling winnings with the former NBA player from the games in which Porter was planning his performance based on the bets made.
Later, on April 4, the same day that Porter was banned for life from basketball for betting on games, he allegedly texted the group chat and told them that they “might just get hit w a rico” — referring to a racketeering charge — before asking them if they “delete[d] all the stuff” from their personal cell phones.
During its investigation, the NBA said that Porter — the brother of Denver Nuggets star Michael Porter Jr. — placed at least 13 bets on NBA games using someone else’s account, with bets ranging between $15 to $22,000.
The league found that Porter was “disclosing confidential information to sports better” and “limiting his own participation in one of more games for betting purposes.”
The allegations against Porter, who is not identified in Pham’s complaint, match the description of “Player 1” in the court documents.
The feds are looking for three additional people who remain at-large.
Pham tried hightailing it out of the country by booking a one-way ticket to Australia a day after the government tried questioning him, the complaint said.
He was collared at JFK with a bag stuffed with $12,000 cash, two cashier checks worth $80,000 and several betting slips, according to the complaint.
Pham was arraigned on wire fraud charges Tuesday and faces up to 20 years in prison.
A bail hearing for Pham has been set for Wednesday.
Pham’s attorney, Michael Soshnick, did not immediately return a request for comment.
