Timothy McCormack and Mahmud Mullah were both released on $50,000 bond Thursday morning after their arrests in connection with the ongoing NBA betting scandal that has sent shockwaves through the sports world. They were reportedly questioned by federal investigators as early as May 30, according to the official complaint filed in the case. Both men allegedly engaged in betting on NBA games in which then-Toronto Raptor Jontay Porter removed himself from play early, thus manipulating the outcomes of certain prop bets. Although Porter is not directly named in the complaint, it refers to an NBA player who was banned for life, a punishment that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver handed down to Porter in April. He remains the only player to have been banned for betting-related activities up to this point.
Porter was found to have not only bet on Raptors games but also shared sensitive personal health information with his associates. These revelations came to light earlier this week after the arrest of Long Phi Pham, the central figure in the scandal, who was caught at JFK Airport while attempting to board a flight to Australia on June 3. Pham was subsequently released on a $750,000 bond. All three defendants made court appearances in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York this week.
According to the complaint, the scandal involves a total of five individuals, including Porter, with federal agents continuing to search for the fourth suspect. All of these individuals placed bets on games that took place on January 26 and March 20, during which Porter deliberately exited the games early. The complaint details that McCormack scored a $33,250 profit from a $7,000 bet placed on January 26 and raked in an additional $36,000 from an $8,000 wager on March 20’s “under” bet involving Porter.
Mullah, on the other hand, reportedly placed five separate “under” bets on the March 20 game, yielding an astounding $1.13 million in winnings. The suspects allegedly placed their wagers through legal operators known as “co-official sports betting partners of the NBA,” specifically platforms like DraftKings and FanDuel. DraftKings had previously flagged suspicious betting activity to the NBA following the March 20 game, which set off the broader investigation.
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The complaint further states that both DraftKings and FanDuel reported the suspicious activities to the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA), an organization that subsequently passed the information to the FBI. After his March 20 bet, Mullah’s account was suspended by either DraftKings or FanDuel. On April 10, Mullah sent a text to another suspect requesting urgent action to recover his principal amount from the betting company, highlighting the gravity and desperation among the accused as the investigation gained traction.
The Thursday arrests have compounded an already difficult week for the sports betting industry, which has been embroiled in multiple controversies. Earlier in the week on Monday, news broke that five Major League Baseball players were under investigation for violating the league’s betting rules. Following this, by Tuesday, San Diego Padres shortstop Tucupita Marcano was issued a lifetime ban for his involvement in the scandal.
Another significant development on Tuesday involved Ippei Mizuhara, who pled guilty to stealing nearly $17 million from baseball star Shohei Ohtani to pay off illegal gambling debts. Mizuhara, formerly Ohtani’s interpreter, faces a potential 33-year prison sentence and a $1.5 million fine. This case drew considerable attention as Mizuhara’s deceit and misappropriation of funds underscored the lengths to which individuals might go to cover their gambling losses. MLB swiftly moved to exonerate Ohtani from any involvement immediately after Mizuhara entered his guilty plea.
These incidents underscore the pervasive and far-reaching nature of gambling-related scandals in professional sports, raising questions about the integrity of sports leagues and the measures in place to prevent such instances. The NBA, like other professional leagues, faces a critical moment as it grapples with maintaining the sanctity of the game while navigating the modern complexities of legalized sports betting. The fallout from these scandals will likely lead to more stringent regulations and oversight mechanisms to prevent future infractions.
As the investigation continues and federal agents pursue the remaining suspects, the sports world watches closely, aware that the ramifications of these betting scandals could extend far beyond the individuals involved, potentially altering the landscape of professional sports betting forever.
