Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier pleaded not guilty to federal wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy charges, the latest in a sprawling investigation that prosecutors have compared to “insider trading in professional basketball.”
Rozier entered the plea during an arraignment in Brooklyn federal court Monday and was released on a $3 million bond secured by two properties. He was ordered to avoid gambling, surrender his passport and restrict travel to Florida, Ohio and New York. His attorney, Jim Trusty, told reporters Rozier is “excited” to mount his defense and plans to file a motion to dismiss the case on constitutional grounds.
Federal investigators allege Rozier conspired with long-time friend Deniro Laster to help bettors win wagers on his statistical unders in a March 23, 2023 matchup between the Charlotte Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans. Prosecutors say Rozier, then a Hornet, tipped Laster that he planned to exit the game early with a “supposed” foot injury, information Laster then sold to others in the sports betting ring.
The government says insiders placed more than $200,000 in wagers on Rozier’s unders with regulated sportsbooks. Prosecutors also allege Rozier helped arrange travel for Laster to pick up his share of winnings and later counted the proceeds with him at Rozier’s home.
Rozier part of larger FBI probe
Rozier is one of more than 30 defendants swept up in a four-year FBI investigation into a Mafia-linked sports betting and poker network.
On the day of Rozier’s arrest, prosecutors also charged Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and former Cleveland Cavaliers assistant Damon Jones with helping lure victims into rigged, mob-backed poker games. Jones is also accused of providing bettors with confidential injury information about players during the 2022–23 NBA season.
Both Billups and Rozier remain on unpaid leave.
Prosecutors told the court Monday they expect to hand over “voluminous” discovery in the coming weeks, including more than 1,000 documents and at least 55 gigabytes of data.
Salary dispute and push for speed
Trusty urged the judge to advance the case on a faster timeline, saying Rozier is juggling “multiple layers of litigation,” including an ongoing arbitration dispute with the NBA over suspended salary payments.
U.S. District Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall rejected the request for an accelerated schedule, saying “arbitration with the league is of no concern for me,” before setting the next hearing for March 3, 2026.
Rozier has earned roughly $160 million across a 10-year NBA career and was in the final season of a four-year, $96 million contract at the time of his arrest.
League scrutiny and industry implications
Rozier’s arraignment comes as the NBA faces renewed pressure over how it monitors integrity threats.
The league investigated the March 2023 Hornets game and cleared Rozier last year, a determination now being revisited publicly as federal agents outline alleged coordination with bettors. The NBA said Rozier and Billups were placed on immediate leave after the indictments and reiterated that “the integrity of our game remains our top priority.”
The federal investigation remains ongoing, and prosecutors say additional charges are possible as they continue examining what they describe as a network built to trade non-public basketball information for profit.
