Said he has a gambling addiction
The first person has been sentenced in the illegal sports betting case involving NBA players Jontay Porter and Terry Rozier. On Wednesday, Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall sentenced Timothy McCormack to two years in prison for his role in the scheme.
McCormack won big money using insider information about the injury status (or fake injury status, as the case may be) of NBA players, thus defrauding sportsbooks.
McCormack claimed during his sentencing hearing that he has suffered from a gambling addiction “for more than half my life.”
The US government wanted McCormack to be put behind bars for four years, but Judge DeArcy Hall felt McCormack’s addiction was a mitigating factor and offered some lenience.
“I don’t believe the conduct Mr. McCormack engaged in defines him,” she said.
Prosecutor David Berman said that McCormack was “not as culpable” as some of the other people involved, but added, “Without people like the defendant, these schemes can’t work.”
Fake injury, inside info
Terry Rozier, currently on a leave of absence from the Miami Heat, allegedly told Deniro Laster that he would leave a game on March 23, 2023, when he was with the Charlotte Hornets, early because of a fake injury.
And he did just that: Rozier complained of a foot injury and left the game after ten minutes, causing his stats to miss the prop bet marks set by sportsbooks. Laster had sold the injury information to know sports bettors for $100,000. The bettors then placed over $200,000 in bets on Rozier “under” prop bets.
One bettor in the scheme placed 30 wagers in less than an hour on Rozier unders for a total of $13,759 at Harrah’s Gulf Coast in Biloxi, Mississippi.
The other NBA player involved in the wide-ranging conspiracy was Jontay Porter. He has admitted to withdrawing from at least two games when he played for the Toronto Raptors. Porter pleaded guilty to conspiracy in 2024 and has been banned from the NBA.
