Federal prosecutors add bribery and wire fraud charges to NBA player Terry Rozier indictment
Attorney dismisses new counts as a misplaced effort, while co-conspirators continue to plead guilty in the sprawling sports betting scandal.
Federal prosecutors have escalated the legal proceedings against NBA player Terry Rozier, filing a superseding indictment that adds two new counts to his existing charges. The updated filing alleges that Rozier accepted a $70,000 bribe in connection with an illegal sports betting scheme, specifically agreeing to remove himself prematurely from a March 2023 game between the Charlotte Hornets and the New Orleans Pelicans.
The new charges include honest services wire fraud conspiracy, bringing the total number of counts against Rozier to four. The original indictment already included conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Prosecutors allege that Rozier agreed to pay a portion of the bribe funds to co-defendant Deniro Laster, who was accused of selling information about Rozier’s planned absence to multiple co-conspirators.
According to the indictment, the original agreement involved a bribe of approximately $100,000 for Rozier to alter his game performance. However, Rozier reportedly received only $70,000 because he recorded four rebounds during the game, exceeding the betting line established by the conspirators. In the March 23, 2023, matchup, Rozier played less than 10 minutes, scoring five points and recording two assists, figures well below his season averages at the time.
Rozier’s attorney, Jim Trusty, dismissed the new charges as a strategic move by prosecutors to secure a conviction. In a statement to Front Office Sports, Trusty described the superseding indictment as a misplaced effort to make something stick, asserting that the new theories do not alter the weakness of the evidence. He noted that a motion to dismiss filed in December, which cited Supreme Court precedent, remains righteous.
The broader sports betting scandal, which surfaced in October, has resulted in 34 arrests across two cases. Co-conspirator Marves Fairley recently pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges, stating he agreed to pay a player to alter game performance. Former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones also changed his plea to guilty last month. While a trial date for the betting case has not been set, the legal pressure continues to mount on the players involved.
Rozier, who was traded to the Miami Heat in 2024, was waived last month to make a roster spot for the play-in tournament. He has been on leave of absence since his arrest, but an arbitrator ruled in February that he is still owed $26.4 million by the Heat for the season. The legal proceedings remain ongoing, with no trial date currently scheduled for the betting case.
