A Las Vegas man was arrested Sunday in connection with a fraudulent sports betting scheme involving an NBA player who planned in advance to withdraw from games.
Shane Hennen was arrested at Harry Reid International Airport on Sunday after he was accused of profiting from bets involving the NBA player in question’s performance, according to John Marzulli, public information officer for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
While the NBA player was not named in Hennen’s criminal complaint, the circumstances match those of former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter, who pleaded guilty on July 10 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, court records show.
Porter was banned from the NBA in April after a league probe found that he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors and bet on games himself.
Before a Toronto game on March 20, Porter gave a bettor information about his health status, according to the NBA probe.
Hennen was one of several co-conspirators who received information that the player was planning on withdrawing from two games early — one game on Jan. 26 when the Raptors played the Los Angeles Clippers, and one game on March 20 when they played the Sacramento Kings.
On both occasions, Porter withdrew from the games citing health reasons. Hennen and his co-conspirators were able to successfully wage an “under” bet on Porter’s performance.
A detention letter from the U.S. attorney’s office said that Hennen and his co-conspirators could have netted potentially millions of dollars in profits using a network of proxies and straw bettors.
According to the letter, Hennen purchased a one-way ticket to Colombia, which was scheduled to depart from Las Vegas on Sunday. He was arrested while attempting to board the flight.
Marzulli said that Hennen was released from custody on his own recognizance but will appear in federal court in the Eastern District of New York at a later date.
Hennen has a criminal history, according to the letter. He has previously been charged with engaging in illegal conduct relating to gambling devices, aggravated assault and possession with the intent to distribute cocaine, among other charges.
He faces charges of wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering in relation to the sports betting scheme, records show. If convicted, Hennen could face up to 20 years in prison.
Contact Estelle Atkinson at [email protected]. Follow @estelleatkinson.bsky.social on Bluesky and @estellelilym on X.
