Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier was arrested Thursday along with Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups as part of an investigation into multiple illegal betting schemes that brought in millions of dollars for sports bettors and members of organized crime, authorities said.
Rozier, who previously had been cleared by the NBA on similar allegations after an investigation by the league, and Billups have been placed on leave from their teams, the NBA announced Thursday.
While Billups and former NBA player Damon Jones are charged with scheming with Mafia members to scam participants in card games, Rozier is alleged to have shared insider NBA information in a sports betting ploy that included irregularities during a 2023 game against the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Department of Justice shared details Thursday of allegations involving seven NBA games that took place over the course of a year starting in March 23, 2023. A total of six men are accused of involvement in the sports betting case.
Outside of Rozier and Jones, bettors Eric Earnest, Shane Hennen, Marves Fairley and Deniro Laster have been named as defendants in the alleged sports betting scheme.
Prior to a March 23, 2023, game between the Charlotte Hornets and Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Rozier — who then played for the Hornets — is accused of telling Laster that he planned to claim he was injured and remove himself from the game in the first quarter, according to the indictment.
The indictment states Laster, who is described by authorities as a longtime friend of Rozier's, joined Fairley and Hennen in placing $200,000 in wagers on the under on Rozier, meaning they expected the guard to underperform the betting line on his statistics.
Federal authorities say the bets delivered tens of thousands of dollars in profits for the bettors.
"Laster collected the cash and drove thatt night to Rozier's house, where they counted the profits together," according to a release from the Department of Justice.
The Pelicans dominated that night, earning a 115-96 victory with Rozier putting up five points and four rebounds in 10 minutes of action. Brandon Ingram delivered a triple-double of 30 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists to lead the way for the home team.
The Associated Press reports that posts still available online from the day of the game show that some bettors expressed anger with sportsbooks when it became clear that Rozier was not going to return to the game. Many of those posts said it appeared something "shady" had taken place related to prop bets on his stats in the Pelicans game.
The NBA said it is cooperating with the investigation.
"We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and the integrity of our game remains our top priority," the NBA said in a statement.