A New York gambler has received a two-year prison sentence in the US for his part in an NBA betting scandal.
Timothy McCormack, 38, is the first defendant to receive a sentence in a case which has implicated several co-conspirators and two professional basketball players.
McCormack faced up to four years in prison for acting on inside information to defraud sports betting companies.
Three other defendants, Long Phi Pham, Mahmud Mollad, and Ammar Awadeh, have also pleaded guilty.
NBA Stars Facing Charges
Former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud conspiracy in 2024.
He has already been banned for life by the NBA and was due to be sentenced on December 10 last year.
That date has been pushed back leading to speculation that Porter is actively co-operating with federal investigators over other targeted players.
Also appearing in court in December was Miami Heat’s Terry Rozier.
His charges of wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy relate to a game in March 2023 when he was playing for Charlotte Hornets.
The point guard entered a plea of not guilty and was released on a $3 million bond secured on his Florida home and other property.
The next date for a hearing is fixed for March 3.
McCormack Blames Gambling Addiction
Federal prosecutors were pushing for McCormack to receive the maximum prison term possible of four years for what they described as “cold, hard fraud” while his defense were hoping to spare him jail time.
Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall acknowledged that McCormack had admitted to having a gambling addiction as he passed sentence.
“He has an addiction,” DeArcy Hall said.
“I don’t believe the conduct Mr McCormack engaged in defines him.
“There is no question this is a serious crime.
“Sports matters to me as an individual, as it should to society.”
Case Against Jontay Porter
Porter pleaded guilty to withdrawing early from NBA games so that co-conspirators could win bets.
With mounting gambling debts he was talked into becoming a part of the scheme.
The player also admitted to placing several bets on NBA games, including one on his own team Toronto Raptors to lose.
Central to the main case against Porter was the 123-89 defeat to Sacramento Kings on March 20, 2024.
If a player leaves a game early through injury or sickness, it would be virtually impossible for him to match his average game statistics.
That means any under prop bets on the player’s performance would come good.
Prop bets are among the most popular NBA betting markets.
Mollad placed an $80,000 parlay bet that Porter would under perform.
The player quit the action just three minutes into the game earning a $1.04 million payout.
The bet was immediately suspended pending an investigation.
Through the first three months of 2024 Porter placed at least 13 bets on NBA games using a friend’s account.
His bets ranged from $15 to $22,000 and the stakes totalled $54,094.
The net winnings from these wagers was $21,965.
The NBA has banned Porter for life and he is now waiting to see what sentence he faces for the criminal charges against him.
Case Against Terry Rozier
Rozier is accused of conspiring with friends to help them win bets which earned tens of thousands of dollars.
Prosecutors said he passed on information that injury would cause him to withdraw from the first quarter of Charlotte Hornets’ game with New Orleans Pelicans.
Nine minutes and 36 seconds into the NBA clash on March 23, 2023, he exited the game with a foot injury.
Documents obtained by ESPN show that one bettor placed 30 wagers in 46 minutes around Rozier’s overall performance that day.
The stakes totalled $13,759 and all 30 bets were successful.
Six sportsbooks across the US have reported suspicious activity around the betting on Rozier.
His season average was nearly 21 points a game but he managed just five before quitting against the Pelicans.
A large volume of under prop bets wagered that he would not achieve his usual stats.
That led to fraud prevention firm US Integrity alerting sportsbooks an hour before the game had even tipped off.
McCormack is one of the gamblers from the Porter case who also bet on Rozier props in the Hornets-Pelican game.
Rozier’s attorney has denied that his client has any connection to the individuals involved in that investigation.
