NBA journeyman Terry Rozier pleaded not guilty Wednesdayto new charges of sports bribery and honest services wire fraud conspiracy, stemming from his alleged role in a sprawling sports betting scheme.
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Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn claimed that Rozier solicited and accepted a $100,000 bribe in exchange for tipping off a group of bettors about his plan to leave a game early due to an injury.
Rozier was playing for the Charlotte Hornets and logged just 9 1/2 minutes during a March 23, 2023, game in New Orleans before checking out with an alleged injury.
He scored more than 21 points per game in 2022-23 but only netted 5 points that evening in the Big Easy.
Rozier wore a grey suit and appeared relaxed during his appearance before Magistrate Judge Lara K. Eshkenazi in Brooklyn.
The veteran guardcreated a “predetermined bribe arrangement” with other co-defendants, including Marves Fairley and De’Niro Laster, to withdraw from the game so lucrative wagers could be placed, according to the superseding indictment.
Rozier allegedly played better than anticipated and collected four rebounds during the game, causing his bribe to drop to $70,000, prosecutors said.
Federal prosecutors also claim in the new indictment that Rozier deprived the NBA and the Hornets “of the intangible right of the honest and faithful services of Rozier through bribery and kickbacks,” according to the superseding indictment.
Co-defendant Laster wore a white button down shirt and looked straight ahead during most of his appearance He also pleaded not guilty to the bribery-related charges on Wednesday.
Co-defendant Shane Hennen was expected to appear in court later on Wednesday.
Rozier already faces two federal charges — conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering — from the initial indictment filed last year. Rozier was accused of leaking nonpublic information about his plan to underperform at the 2023 game.
The fraudulent wagers resulted in tens of thousands of dollars in profits for bettors, prosecutors said.
Rozier pleaded not guilty last year to the initial charges. In December, Rozier requested that the case be dismissed, arguing that the government had overstepped by charging him with fraud.
The judge presiding over the case has yet to rule on Rozier’s request to throw out the case.
Last year, federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York brought two massive illegal gambling cases: One involving the rigging of Mafia-backed poker games and the other about using insider information to place bets on NBA games.
Together, the two alleged criminal operations generated over $10 million in ill-gotten gains, according to prosecutors.
More than 30 people, including members and associates of four major Mafia crime families, Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and ex-NBA player Damon Jones, have been ensnared in the scheme.
Billups has maintained his innocence.
Jones pleaded guilty in April in federal court, where he admitted feeding inside information to bettors and helping orchestrate fixed poker games.
He is set to be sentenced early next year.
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