A Brooklyn man has been charged with conspiring with three others in a scheme to defraud a sports betting company by using inside information from an NBA player. The federal complaint filed this week alleges that the group successfully bet on the performance of the player, who was later banned from the league.
The accused, identified as Long Phi Pham, allegedly conspired with others to place bets on the player underperforming in two separate games based on the player's planned withdrawal for health reasons. The bets were related to individual statistics, known as proposition bets, where the group wagered that the player's performance would be below a predetermined figure set by the sports betting company.
The complaint, which refers to the player as 'Player 1,' has been identified as former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter, who was recently banned from the NBA. Pham was arrested at a New York airport as he was about to board a flight to Australia. Three other co-conspirators charged in the scheme are currently at large.
Pham appeared in court and was initially ordered detained pending trial. However, in a bail hearing, a judge stated that Pham could be released on a $750,000 bond with home detention and electronic monitoring once surety for the bond is secured.
US Attorney Breon Peace emphasized the seriousness of the case, stating that fraud and dishonesty in professional sports will not be tolerated. The prosecution aims to send a clear message that illegal activities in sports, such as the betting scheme involving the NBA player, will be met with legal consequences.
