Former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter is set to face criminal charges from federal prosecutors in the U.S. regarding his alleged involvement in an illegal gambling scheme that resulted in him being banned from the NBA for life.

A U.S. District Court for the East District of New York filing names Porter as a defendant. He faces felony charges and New York reports suggest he is expected to plead guilty.

The court confirmed on Thursday that Porter’s arraignment and plea agreement hearing will be held on July 10.

An NBA investigation this spring found that Porter had provided insider information to a group of co-conspirators to alleviate gambling debts and had affected his own performances to ensure wagers player prop bets cashed.

Co-conspirators Long Phi Pham, Timothy McCormack, Mahmud Mollah, and Ammar Awawdeh are all facing U.S. charges related to defrauding a sports betting company.

The charges centred on two Raptors games, one in January against the Los Angeles Clippers and a second in March versus the Sacramento Kings. In both games, Porter allegedly notified his co-conspirators of his plan to exit the games early. His co-conspirators won more than $1 million USD combined by wagering on player props as Porter’s early exits ensured the “under” cashed.

The online wagers were flagged as suspicious activity, leading to a report by the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) to the FBI and a subsequent investigation from the NBA.

OPP also investigating with view to potential criminal charges

The former NBA player is also being investigated by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) conducted its own probe through the OPP’s embedded Investigation and Enforcement Bureau (IEB). That investigation found there was justification for police to launch a criminal investigation of its own.

“The IEB has completed their assessment of available information in relation to the reported online betting irregularities from the January 26 and March 20, 2024 Raptors games and have determined that a criminal investigation is warranted,” Sgt. Robert Simpson told Canadian Gaming Business last month.

“The OPP IEB is aware of the ongoing criminal investigation being conducted by federal authorities in the U.S. and will be connecting with them as our investigation moves forward. As this is an ongoing investigation, in order to protect the integrity of the investigation, no additional information is being provided.”

The OPP will consult with U.S. federal authorities to share information.