US authorities have indicted three people on charges of conspiring with NBA players to rig basketball games, New York prosecutors announced on Thursday.
In April, the NBA permanently banned Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter after a shocking investigation revealed he had been betting on league games.
Porter’s name is redacted from the indictment filed by federal prosecutors in Brooklyn, but game dates and other details in the document match those of Porter.
The indictment alleges that Timothy McCormack, Mahmoud Moller and Long Phi Pham, also known as Bruce, “knowingly conspired to hatch a scheme and scheme to defraud” online sports betting companies.
Investigators say McCormack won $44,000 on the bets, while Mueller won more than $1.2 million.
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The two are accused of leaving two games for medical reasons after playing just a few minutes in order to bet on Porter.
The FBI launched an investigation after receiving warnings from online gambling companies.
McCormack and Mueller were arraigned on Thursday and released on bail, while Pham was arrested at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport on Monday before boarding a one-way flight to Australia.
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The NBA charges that Porter, the younger brother of Denver Nuggets star Michael Porter Jr., placed at least 13 bets on NBA games while on the road with the Raptors or their G League affiliate, Raptors 905, between January and March of this year.
NBA players are prohibited from betting on NBA games by league rules, and players found to have done so are subject to fines, suspensions, or permanent bans.
“Nothing is more important to our fans, our teams and everyone involved in our sport than protecting the integrity of NBA competition, which is why Jontay Porter’s flagrant violation of the rules of the game will be subject to the most severe punishment,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in April when announcing Porter’s suspension.
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Since a Supreme Court ruling in 2018, sports betting has been legalized in the majority of U.S. states.
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