Rozier's lawyer said the federal charges have been “professionally devastating” for the Miami Heat guard.
BROOKLYN (CN) — Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier pleaded not guilty Monday to charges that he intentionally undercut his performance in at least one NBA game to benefit a group of gamblers.
The 31-year-old Louisville alum was released on a $3 million bond, secured by his home in South Florida. Per his bond agreement, Rozier will be barred from gambling both in-person and online.
Rozier is accused of prematurely exiting a 2023 game with a phony injury so that more than $200,000 placed on Rozier’s “under” props cashed out after he left the game with just nine minutes of playing time.
“The proceeds were later delivered to his home where the group counted their cash,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference in October, announcing the charges.
Prosecutors charged Rozier with wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy, which each carry maximum sentences of 20 years in prison.
Rozier’s attorney James Trusty waived a public reading of the charges on Monday before entering into the not guilty plea on behalf of his client, who was seated at the defense table draped in a gray suit and sporting diamond earrings.
At a subsequent status conference following Rozier’s arraignment, Trusty said the indictment put his client in a “unique situation.”
“The leak of this investigation … has been professionally devastating,” Trusty said in court, stating that Rozier is unable to play basketball with the pending case and isn’t currently earning any money as a result. Trusty had hoped to expedite his client’s trial, but given the “quite voluminous” discovery prosecutors say they expect in the case, U.S. District Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall — a Barack Obama appointee — shot the request down.
Still, Trusty said he plans to file a motion to dismiss as early as this week.
“We’re excited about litigating a legal motion about legal innocence,” Trusty told reporters outside of the courtroom. Rozier said nothing when leaving the courthouse.
Prosecutors also teased Monday that they’ll be trying to reach a plea deal with defendants in the coming weeks as well.
The game in question, played on March 23, 2023, between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Charlotte Hornets — then Rozier’s team — was previously investigated by the NBA. But the league announced in January that it had looked into the matter at the time and didn’t find any rules were broken.
Rozier cited a foot issue for his early exit. He didn’t play again that season.
According to the indictment, Rozier told his childhood friend and codefendant Deniro Laster about his plan to prematurely leave the game. Laster then sold that information to other bettors, prosecutors claim.
Laster was arraigned alongside Rozier on Monday. He, too, pleaded not guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy and was released on a $50,000 bond.
Rozier is additionally charged alongside retired NBA veteran Damon Jones, who is accused in the same indictment of using his connections to the league to dole out insider info to certain bettors. Jones pleaded not guilty last month.
The pair was among more than 30 people arrested in two sprawling investigations linking illegal gambling operations to professional sports. Portland Trail Blazers head coach and NBA Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups was swept up in the other indictment, accused of helping to rig Mafia-backed poker games. Jones is also charged in that scheme — Rozier is not.
Picked in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics, Rozier was traded from the Hornets to the Heat last year in a move that is now being scrutinized by the latter. ESPN has reported that the Heat were unaware of the NBA’s investigation when they traded for Rozier in 2024, and now have buyer’s remorse given his legal baggage.
Both Rozier and Billups have been placed on unpaid leave from their respective teams as their cases play out in federal court. Rozier’s next court appearance is set for March 3, 2026.
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