Miles from the Barclays Center, home of this year’s NBA Draft, Jontay Porter made an appearance Wednesday inside another Brooklyn court.

Appearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge James R. Cho, Porter pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Approximately four months after leaving a March game with an unspecified illness, Porter admitted to participating in a brazen scheme to defraud two sports betting companies. Saddled by heavy gambling debts, the former Toronto Raptors’ center further admitted to manipulating the outcomes of several prop wagers to profit off the scheme.

“I know what I did was wrong and unlawful, I am deeply sorry for my conduct,” Porter told Cho during the hearing.

Porter, 24, received a lifetime ban from the NBA on April 17 after a league investigation determined he limited his own participation in several games to ensure the results of the props. The charges pertain to two Raptors’ games last season over a three-month span. Porter also admitted Wednesday to communicating with members of a small sports betting syndicate, which initially made over $1 million on the wagers.

Following a flurry of indictments, Porter is the fifth person to be charged in connection with the scandal. Porter, the younger brother of Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., is the only defendant in the case who has made a guilty plea. Last month, a Brooklyn individual named Long Phi Pham was arrested while attempting to board a one-way flight to Australia. Days later, two others, Timothy McCormack and Mahmud Mollah, surrendered to federal authorities. A fourth individual, Ammar Awawdeh, is also facing charges in the matter.

— David Payne Purdum (@DavidPurdum) July 10, 2024

While Porter faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years for the guilty plea, it is doubtful he will receive a sentence that severe. Based in part on his cooperation with prosecutors, Porter is eligible for a reduced sentence within a range of 41-to-51 months. While the Court has the discretion to impose a lesser sentence, the charge does not carry a minimum, according to federal sentencing guidelines.

As a condition of his sentence, Porter is prohibited from traveling outside the U.S. He must also continue to take part in therapy sessions for treatment of his gambling addiction, Cho disclosed during the hearing. Jeff Jensen, Porter’s attorney, previously told ESPN that his client sought therapy for the issues.

Jensen declined comment when reached by Sports Handle on Wednesday.

More than two dozen people attended Wednesday’s hearing in a small courtroom in Brooklyn. Clad in a black suit, white shirt, and dark tie, Porter appeared relaxed throughout the hearing. After setting a bond at $250,000, Cho released the former NBA center following the hearing. The assembled crowd included Porter’s mother Lisa and his wife Kelly. Advised of the bail conditions, the two suretors signed the bond on Wednesday.

According to court records, an individual identified as “Player 1” amassed significant gambling debts by the start of 2024. While Porter is not mentioned by name in the filings, it is widely presumed to be him based on the facts of the case. Awawdeh, in turn, encouraged the player to leave the games early to ensure the bets would be successful, court filings state.

Porter allegedly manipulated his performance in two games last season, on Jan. 26 against the Clippers and March 20 versus the Kings. Ahead of the Kings’ contest, the player informed three co-conspirators that he intended to remove himself from the game early. Porter left the game without a point, finishing 0-for-1 from the floor in three minutes. In the same Telegram chat, defendants Pham, Awawdeh, Mollah, and the player agreed on a profit-sharing arrangement if a series of “under” props were successful. According to court records, the four agreed to equally split 96% of the profits, with McCormack to receive the remaining 4%.

That's really concerning. https://t.co/piwoGMmMMh

— Evan Barnes (@evan_b) July 10, 2024

While the syndicate allegedly made several wagers for Porter to underperform the totals, one stood out from the rest. The group placed an $80,000 wager at a prominent New Jersey sportsbook that paid out around $1.1 million. The operator reportedly froze the payment, according to various media reports. While the sportsbooks have not been named in the federal complaint, the operators appear to be FanDuel and DraftKings.

The NBA issued a lifetime ban to Porter, one day after Sports Handle and The Action Network reported that Porter maintained a VIP betting account at FanDuel’s Colorado sportsbook. According to two sources with direct knowledge of Porter’s wagering activities, Porter placed millions of dollars in sports wagers on the site. Porter, however, did not wager on NBA games as an active player on an NBA roster after he signed with Toronto last fall, according to FanDuel. The wagering activity appears to be limited to wagers on Porter’s VIP account under his name. Nevertheless, the league’s investigation also found that Porter wagered on several Raptors games through an acquaintance.

In response to this scandal, the NBA is considering a ban on props involving two-way players. Players on two-way contracts receive one salary for their time with an NBA franchise and their G-League affiliate. Porter left the courthouse Wednesday without speaking to reporters.

Cho also imposed restitution of $260,000 and an undetermined fine. Under a so-called alternative fines provision, the court has the latitude to fine Porter an additional fee, amounting to two times the gross gain or gross loss from the underlying charge. Porter is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 18.