Miami Heat star Terry Rozier pled not guilty Monday at his arraignment following revelations that he may have been involved in an illegal sports betting scheme, the U.S. attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York (EDNY) announced.
Rozier appeared at the district’s Brooklyn courthouse, along with others implicated in a game-fixing conspiracy that also included former University of Kentucky football player De’Niro Laster. Prosecutors say Rozier shared information with Laster, and Laster sold that information to sports bettors.
Rozier was released on $3 million personal recognizance bond, and he can travel only to Florida, Ohio, New York City, and Long Island. He must get court approval for travel to other destinations. Rozier used his Florida home and another property to secure the bond.
Laster was released on $50,000 personal recognizance bond raised by family members, and his travel is restricted to the Northern District of Ohio, Western District of Washington, New York City, and Long Island.
In a status conference later Monday, Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall “designated the case complex based on complexity of the charges and the large volume of discovery,” the EDNY wrote in an email to media. The next status conference is set for March 3, 2026, and Hall “excluded” the time in between for discovery and plea negotiations.
According to the EDNY, Rozier and Laster are also banned from gambling. Both face charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Each count has a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
According to The Athletic, Rozier’s lawyer James Trusty asked the court to speed the case along, and also said he plans to file a motion to dismiss on Tuesday. Laster’s lawyer said he would likely follow suit.
The case is one of two major sports betting scandals linked to U.S. professional leagues that are currently playing out. Also in the EDNY, Cleveland Guardian pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luiz Ortiz are facing charges of wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, and money laundering conspiracy.
The maximum sentence for the combined charges is up to 65 years in prison. Both players allegedly took payment to locate pitches or control speed so bettors could make prop bets. Clase is also accused of placing bets on baseball.
Rozier left game early
In what has become a theme for NBA players alleged to have cheated, Rozier allegedly decided that he would leave a March 2023 game between his Charlotte Hornets and the New Orleans Pelicans early. With that information, bettors could wager on “under” bets like points scored or rebounds, and be assured to win. Rozier played 9 minutes, 36 seconds in the game. He averaged 35.3 minutes per game that season.
The strategy is the same one employed by former Toronto Raptor two-way player Jontay Porter, whose sentencing hearing was set for Wednesday, but has been delayed. Porter was banned from the NBA in April 2024. So far, the league has not taken such action against Rozier, or former Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach and ex-NBA player Damon Jones, who pled not guilty to similar charges in October.
Rozier is currently on unpaid leave from the league.
Porter could get 51 months
No reason for the delay in Porter’s sentencing was given. Porter pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and federal prosecutors are recommending 41-51 months in prison. Porter worked with co-conspirators by removing himself from games early so the co-conspirators could bet on the “under” in several categories.
According to court documents, Porter agreed to the scheme because he owed his co-conspirators money. The bets were flagged by legal betting platforms DraftKings and FanDuel. Porter’s sentencing hearing has been continued multiple times — he was initially set to be sentenced Dec. 18, 2024.
