Former Raptors player Jontay Porter pleads guilty in case tied to gambling scandal

NEW YORK -- Former NBA player Jontay Porter on Wednesday pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a federal criminal case tied to the betting scandal that got him banned from the league earlier this year.

The former Toronto Raptors center entered the plea at his arraignment in a New York federal court.

His lawyer had previously said that Porter was cooperating with authorities while being treated for a gambling addiction.

Court papers showed the case against Porter is related to an ongoing prosecution of four other men. The four have been arraigned on a charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud but haven't yet entered any pleas.

Those men are charged with scheming to profit off tips from an NBA player that he was going to exit two games early. They or their relatives used the knowledge to place big-winning bets that the athlete would do poorly in those games, according to a court complaint filed when they were charged in June.

The complaint didn't name the player, but details matched up with an NBA investigation that spurred Porter's banishment from the league this spring. The league found that he gambled on NBA games and gave bettors confidential information about his health.