New York gambler accused in Jontay Porter case denies trying to escape.
One of four men from New York who are suspected of being part of the Jontay Porter betting scandal has insisted that he was not attempting to escape the country when he was apprehended at JFK International last week.
FBI agents caught up with Long Phi Pham, a 38-year-old man, on June 3 as he tried to board a one-way ticket to Australia.
During a bail hearing at Brooklyn federal court on Wednesday, the self-proclaimed "poker shark" informed the judge through his attorney that he was actually on his way to a poker tournament at the Star Casino in Sydney. He had $12,000 in cash, $80,000 in cashier's checks, and three phones with him.
Michael Soschnik, Pham's lawyer, clarified to reporters following the hearing that his client was among the top 1% of poker players globally.
NBA Betting Scandal
According to prosecutors, Pham was involved in a group that profited from wagers on NBA matches which featured Jontay Porter. They had prior knowledge that Porter would leave the games early. The group won over $2 million betting on underdogs with DraftKings and FanDuel, with both games resulting in Porter simulating an injury. Nonetheless, the majority of the winnings were frozen as the operators spotted suspicious betting patterns.
Authorities allege that Porter was drawn into the conspiracy due to significant financial debt acquired from gambling. The league banned the player for life in April for contravening its betting policies.
Pham is charged with wire fraud for his part in the purported scheme. Magistrate Judge Cheryl Pollak allowed him bail at $750,000 on Wednesday, despite expressing concerns.
"I believe he is attempting to escape the country to avoid prosecution. I've got considerable misgivings about the fact that I'm making a mistake today," she said.
No Poker Tournament?
There wasn't a poker festival scheduled in Sydney this month with the magnitude of fields and prize pools that would potentially lure the top 1% of poker players to make the journey from the other side of the world when the World Series of Poker was in full swing in Las Vegas.
The Star hosted its typical line-up of low-to-medium buy-in events. Possibly, that would be more appealing to Pham—or at least the listed "Long Pham" on the Hendon Mob's database of live tournament rankings. The listed player, who could or couldn't be the defendant, is ranked 288,478th in the world, with total tournament earnings of merely $3,336. This player enjoys small-to-medium buy-in events, ranging from $230 to $500.
Pham could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
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