Gambler Timothy McCormack became the first person sentenced in the wide-ranging NBA gambling scheme that involves players Jontay Porter and Terry Rozier on Wednesday in New York.
McCormack, who used nonpublic information to place significant wagers on prop bets involving players implicated in the scheme, was sentenced to two years in prison for defrauding sports betting platforms.
Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall’s sentence was in between the four years the government was pushing for and the sentence with no prison time the defense desired.
“There is no question that this is a serious crime. … It is about sports generally, what do sports mean to this country?” DeArcy Hall said at the sentencing. “They are supposed to be the best of themselves, and we all root for these teams. This undermines that.”
McCormack, 38, placed bets based on insider information that Porter, then with the Toronto Raptors, and Rozier, then with the Charlotte Hornets, would leave certain games early.
“I’ve struggled with a gambling addiction for more than half my life,” McCormack said at his sentencing.
Porter has since been banned from the NBA for his role in the scheme and is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty in 2024.
Rozier pleaded not guilty to wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy charges in December. He is out on $3 million bond and remains on unpaid leave from the Miami Heat, with his next court date set for March.
