Days after federal law enforcement officials apprehended a figure in the Jontay Porter case, two other individuals have been charged in connection with the brazen sports betting scheme.
The individuals, Timothy McCormack and Mahmud Mollah, surrendered on Thursday ahead of an appearance in Brooklyn Federal Court. The appearance came two days after a Brooklyn man was charged for his role in the alleged NBA prop betting scheme. On Monday, law enforcement officials apprehended the individual, Long Phi Pham, as he attempted to board a one-way flight to Australia.
While Porter is not named in the complaint, it is abundantly clear he is the person described in court filings as “Player 1.” McCormack and Mollah allegedly conspired to devise a scheme to defraud a sportsbook operator described in the complaint as “Betting Company 1.” Another operator named in the complaint is identified as “Betting Company 2.”
It has been widely reported that FanDuel, Porter did not wager on NBA games as an active player on an NBA roster after he signed with Toronto last fall.
The Scheme 68t1s
When the Raptors faced the Sacramento Kings on March 20, Porter left the game early after playing for only three minutes. Porter, the younger brother of Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., finished without a point on 0-for-1 shooting from the floor. The Raptors center left the game with an unspecified illness.
An individual with whom Porter associated and knew to be an NBA bettor placed an $80,000 parlay to win $1.1 million, the NBA determined during its investigation. The Same Game Parlay included several Porter-specific legs on the center to hit the under on various prop outcomes. The wager was purportedly placed at a DraftKings sportsbook, multiple outlets reported.
Prior to the game, Pham, Mollah, and McCormack met at an unidentified casino in Atlantic City to place bets on “Player 1,” according to the complaint. Surveillance footage from the casino and photographs on mobile devices of the defendants show the trio together at the property, the complaint states.
Other Suspicious Betting Activity 405r6m
It marked the second time Porter left a game this season under suspicious circumstances. On Jan. 22, “Player 1” sustained a purported eye injury during a game, according to federal prosecutors. He was evaluated and diagnosed with a corneal abrasion, but was not placed on the NBA injury list. Porter finished with no points in a 108-100 loss to Memphis.
Four nights later, “Player 1” told Pham he planned to remove himself from a game with a pre-arranged injury. After appearing for only four minutes, the player removed himself from the game, complaining to team officials that he re-aggravated the eye injury. The player recorded zero points, three rebounds, and one assist. The Raptors fell to the Clippers, 127-107, dropping their fourth consecutive game.
McCormack placed a $7,000 parlay bet through “Betting Company 1” on the under for Player 1’s points, assists, rebounds, and 3-pointers made. In addition, a relative of a redacted defendant placed a $10,000 parlay bet through “Betting Company 1” on the under for Player 1’s assists, steals, and 3-pointers made.
Weeks later, the relative made a transfer to McCormack of $65,000 on March 20, according to the complaint. The relative attempted to make a second transfer of $25,000 to McCormack, which was denied by PayPal, the complaint states. Nevertheless, McCormack transferred $74,300 to “Betting Company 1” on the same day.
The defendants made at least nine wagers on Porter-specific parlays in the hours before tip-off. According to the complaint, McCormack made an $8,000 bet on the under on “Player 1’s” rebounds that resulted in a profit of $36,000. The others were placed by Mollah, including the aforementioned $80,000 parlay. Altogether, the defendants netted a profit of $1.19 million on aggregate wagers of $113,900.
Due to the suspicious nature of the wagers, “Betting Company 1” suspended Mollah’s before he could withdraw the majority of the winnings, according to the complaint. Both sports betting companies reported the suspicious betting activity to the NBA, which opened an investigation regarding Player 1, the complaint states.
While traveling with the Raptors or Raptors 905, the Raptors’ NBA G League , Porter placed at least 13 bets on NBA games using an associate’s online betting , according to the NBA’s investigation. It is unclear if the s belonged to Pham, Mollah, or McCormack. The bets ranged from $15 to $22,000, for a total of $54,094, the NBA said in a statement. All 13 bets were placed over the first three months of this year.
The NBA suspended Porter indefinitely in March amid suspicions on the wagering patterns. Perhaps sensing the writing on the wall, “Player 1” warned Pham and Mollah on April 4 that the group could be hit with a racketeering charge, then asked them to “delete” information from their personal phones that could be incriminating. Nearly two weeks later, the NBA issued a lifetime ban against Porter.
Based on the government’s investigation, the messages from Player 1 to the co-conspirators relay the player’s concerns that the conspirators could be investigated for violations of The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, FBI Special Agent Dominic Mariani wrote in the complaint.
Pham booked a flight to Australia on May 31, one day after the government attempted to question McCormack, the complaint reads. When federal law enforcement apprehended Pham on Monday at John F. Kennedy International Airport, he had $12,000 in cash, two cashier’s checks totaling $80,000, several betting slips, and three cell phones in his possession. Pham’s bail was set at $750,000 on Wednesday, despite a request from prosecutors that he be detained, Reuters reported.
A federal judge set bail at $50,000 for the two other defendants, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn said. A third co-conspirator remains at large. Porter has not been charged yet in the case.
