Former NBA player Terry Rozier finds himself in deeper trouble as prosecutors have added a new charge of sports bribery against him. This development comes shortly after one of his co-defendants pled guilty in a federal case involving sports corruption.
In October, Rozier, along with Eric Earnest, Shane Hennen, Marves Fairley, and Deniro Laster, was charged with conspiring to use insider information to manipulate betting outcomes, thereby defrauding unnamed sportsbooks. Specifically, Rozier was accused of signaling to his associates that he would deliberately underperform in a game on March 23, 2023, while playing for the Charlotte Hornets, allowing gamblers to profit by betting on the “under” for certain prop bets.
A superseding indictment filed on Thursday now alleges that Rozier accepted a bribe of $100,000 to deliberately underperform in that game. He has pleaded not guilty to the initial charges of wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy and sought to have the trial dismissed in December.
His attorney, Jim Trusty, remarked to ESPN, “The superseding indictment just confirms that our motion to dismiss was righteous … new charges, new theories, but all just a sad effort to make something stick.”
In related news, Marves Fairley has pleaded guilty to seven counts of wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy as part of a plea deal in connection with the Rozier case and a separate NCAA point-shaving scandal.
Trusty noted, “There are some desperate men in this case with terrible criminal records and tons of exposure, and they know what to say to please these prosecutors,” as he spoke to NBC News.
The new indictment suggests that Rozier intended to share part of the bribe with Laster, who, along with Hennen, was allegedly involved in recruiting individuals who would have insider knowledge once Rozier identified the game he planned to withdraw from.
Prosecutors claim that Rozier planned to use a past leg injury as a pretext for sitting out the game against the New Orleans Pelicans. After Rozier allegedly informed Laster of his intentions, gamblers reportedly wagered over $258,700 on his underperformance during that match.
Despite not being listed on an official injury report prior to the game, Rozier ended up scoring just five points, with four rebounds and two assists. His four rebounds interfered with one of the prop bets, leading him to agree to lower the payout for his performance to $70,000.
The indictment asserts that Rozier and his co-defendants conspired to defraud both the Hornets and the NBA by undermining the integrity of his “honest and faithful services.”