Shane Hennen, a convicted felon accused of rigging high-stakes poker games, has been arrested on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering.
The charges are part of a wider investigation into a gambling ring who worked alongside former basketball star Jontay Porter, who has been banned for life from the NBA due to his role in the stat-fixing scandal.
What Happened?
The NBA betting scandal was a stats-fixing scam involving Porter, Hennen, and several other criminal co-conspirators.
Porter had an arrangement with the betting circle, including Hennen, wherein he’d intentionally pull out of games mid-match. The gang were able to use this inside information to place successful bets on Porter’s statistics, knowing he wouldn’t see the games out.
On January 22, 2024, Jontay Porter was removed from a game to have his eye examined. Remarkably, screenshots show him messaging a member of the gambling ring during the game, informing him that he wouldn’t be coming on for the second half.
One of Porter’s messages read, “But if it’s garbage time I will shoot a million shots”, suggesting he was willing to intentionally miss shots to ensure the bets came through.
In another message, Porter wrote, “Hit unders for the big numbers. I told [REDACTED] no blocks no steals. I’m going to play first 2-3 minute stint off the bench then when I get subbed out tell them my eye killing me again.” Hennen then successfully bet $3,700 on Porter under 4.5 rebounds by using a proxy.
A few days later, the investigation claims that he used this eye injury as an excuse to come out of the LA Clippers game early – a plan he’d already informed the co-conspirators about beforehand. Then, on March 20, the former Raptors forward-center tipped them off that he would call time on the match against the Kings, and claim he was feeling ill.
Before his arrest, Hennen was about to board a flight from Las Vegas to Colombia. His lawyer has claimed this was for dental treatment.
Hennen’s History
This isn’t Hennen’s first brush with the law, and his rap sheet extends beyond just betting. The detention letter from the US Attorney’s Office shows his previous charges include aggravated assault and possession with the intent to distribute cocaine, in addition to engaging in illegal conduct relating to gambling devices.
Fans of the high-stakes poker scene may also recognize his name from accusations of cheating. Several regulars at Hustler Casino Live, a popular live poker stream which provides an alternative to online poker in California, have made claims of Hennen cheating as part of a group which included Tony Mars.
There’s even a 17-minute audio recording where high-stakes reg ‘Wes Side’ Wesley Fei accuses Mars directly. Later, he took to social media platform X to make the accusations (and alleged threats) public, including Hennen’s previous convictions in the thread.
What Next?
Porter pled guilty and apologized to the court back in July 2024, and will likely receive a prison sentence along with his lifelong ban from the NBA. His sentence was originally expected in December 2024, but has now been pushed back to May 2025.
Following his arrest, Hennen was released from custody but placed on supervision as he awaits his future court date.