Another person has been arrested and charged in the Jontay Porter betting scandal, shedding more light on what the banned former NBA player allegedly told his co-conspirators. Sunday, police arrested Shane Hennen at the Las Vegas airport, according to the spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. Federal prosecutors say that Hennen was part of a conspiracy to defraud an unnamed sports betting company, and Hennen will be charged in the Eastern District with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering.
Hennen received information from another of Porter’s alleged co-conspirators that the then-Raptors center was planning to manipulate his on-court minutes to help bettors win their prop bets, according to a complaint unsealed Monday. Porter pled guilty in July to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Four people were charged and arrested in June in connection to the alleged scheme
Porter told his co-conspirators that he would take himself out early of a Raptors game on Jan. 26 because of an eye injury and that he would leave a March 20 game early by saying he was too ill to keep playing, according to federal prosecutors. Porter did this, prosecutors said, as a way to clear his own “significant gambling debts” and to help the co-conspirators win prop bets placed on him not reaching the over in certain statistical categories.
Porter texted one man during a Jan. 22 Raptors game that he had been taken into the locker room to have his eye examined and that he didn’t anticipate playing more that day and that he wouldn’t start the second half — he had started the game for the Raptors. “But if it’s garbage time I will shoot a million shots,” he followed up. A screenshot of those messages were sent to Hennen the next day, prosecutors said in the complaint. He then told two alleged co-conspirators hours before the Jan. 26 game that he would remove himself from the game that night with an injury. That information was then shared with Hennen. The man who sent the message to Hennen has pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Hennan was also sent along another message from Porter that read: “Hit unders for the big numbers. I told [Co-Conspirator 2] no blocks no steals. I’m going to play first 2-3 minute stint off the bench then when I get subbed out tell them my eye killing me again.” Hennen bet $3,700 through a proxy, according to the complaint filed against him and who federal prosecutors do not name, that Porter would not reach the 4.5 rebounds total listed for him and won.
Hennen also received information ahead of the March 20 game that Porter would again pull himself from the game. Hennen, prosecutors allege, was asked not to leak this information, but prosecutors believe that he did tell others ahead of the game. Hennen ultimately bet $2,400 that Porter would not reach the over/under total for points. Porter played three minutes in that game and had no points, no assists and two rebounds.
Porter is awaiting sentencing. His sentencing hearing was moved back from December to May.
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