A man from Pennsylvania entered a guilty plea on Wednesday related to a sports betting scheme that significantly impacted the career of Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter.
In total, three individuals, including Porter, have openly acknowledged their involvement in this conspiracy. The scheme involved the player opting out of games early, allowing gamblers who received insider information to win bets based on lower than anticipated scoring projections for him.

Mollah, Porter, and another associate, Long Phi Pham, have all pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud conspiracy. Two additional individuals have been implicated in the case but have not yet filed any pleas.

The defendant, Mahmud Mollah, hailing from Lansdale, Pennsylvania, is scheduled for sentencing on May 2 in a federal courtroom located in Brooklyn. He faces a broad range of potential penalties, which could vary from no prison time to as much as 20 years behind bars.

Mollah’s attorney, Andrew Levin, opted not to make any comments following the court proceedings on Wednesday.

Porter’s involvement in the scheme saw him play only briefly during specific games on January 26 and March 20, failing to register any points after deciding to withdraw, citing injury or illness.

According to court documents, Mollah leveraged his insider awareness of Porter’s planned withdrawal from the March 20 game to place lucrative bets, which could have accrued over $1 million to be divided among the collaborators, including a significant 24% cut designated for Porter. However, a suspicious betting company intervened, preventing Mollah from claiming the majority of the winnings.

Following an NBA investigation, Porter was handed a lifetime ban from the league. He later testified in court that his involvement in the scheme was driven by the need to alleviate substantial gambling debts.

Currently, Porter awaits his sentencing, which is set for December 18.