Rozier defense fights back after prosecutors file additional charges in sports betting case

With the NBA Finals set to tip-off, a pre-trial battle is heating up between the two sides in the illegal sports betting case involving a prominent professional basketball player.

Days after prosecutors announced additional charges against Terry Rozier, attorneys for the former Charlotte Hornets guard submitted a memo on Wednesday to modify the conditions of his pretrial release. At present, Rozier is prohibited from contacting current and former employees of the Hornets under the condition of his release. Rozier’s attorney Jim Trusty petitioned the court to modify a “no-contact list” established by the government after his arrest last fall.

Last week, federal prosecutors in Brooklyn filed a superseding indictment against Rozier adding two more charges against the NBA guard in the high-profile case.

Traded by the Hornets in 2024, Rozier was previously accused of deliberately underperforming to ensure the result of a series of wagers on his statistical outcome in a 2023 game. Already facing a lengthy sentence, Rozier is now accused of accepting a bribe for his alleged participation in the comprehensive scheme.

The new charges

Last October, federal authorities placed Rozier under arrest in Florida as part of a sweeping indictment against six defendants in a nationwide sports betting scheme. Rozier is accused of leaving a March 2023 game against the New Orleans Pelicans prematurely with an apparent foot injury.

Due to the early departure, a group of defendants won several wagers on same-game parlays related to Rozier’s output. According to court filings, the defendants wagered at least $200,000 on a series of “under” bets on Rozier’s statistical performance. Also last week, Marves Fairley, a presumed ringleader in the NBA and college basketball schemes, pleaded guilty to seven charges in Brooklyn. Fairley gave Deniro Laster, another co-defendant, tens of thousands of dollars for the tip on Rozier, prosecutors allege.

Rozier, 32, is now facing charges of bribery in sporting contests and honest services wire fraud conspiracy in the superseding indictment. Shortly before the 2023 game, Rozier allegedly informed Laster of his intention to remove himself from the Pelicans’ game in the first quarter. Rozier, according to prosecutors, initially agreed to accept a $100,000 bribe, an amount he later negotiated down to $70,000, court filings show. He allegedly accepted a lower bribe after at least one defendant lost their wagers on his rebound total.

Trusty told multiple media outlets last week that the new efforts are simply an attempt by the prosecution to “make something stick”. In April, prosecutors apparently informed the defense of their intention to file new charges mere hours before a hearing on Rozier’s motion to dismiss the case. US District Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall has yet to rule on the motion.

Lingering items

When Rozier made his initial appearance in Brooklyn federal court on 8 December 2025, a magistrate judge entered an order setting conditions of release. Rozier posted a bond on the same day and three days later, the no-contact list went into effect, court records show.

The list contains current and former members of the Hornets, including all coaches, players, medical staff, building staff and support staff. One day later, the list was amended to add members of the Miami Heat, another former team of Rozier’s, under the same stipulations. In addition, prosecutors have barred Rozier from contacting corporate representatives of FanDuel, DraftKings, BetRivers/Rush Street Interactive, ESPN, Bet/Penn Entertainment and the NBA, Trusty wrote in the memo.

The Heat waived the former first-round pick near the end of the regular season. On 29 May, the government advised Rozier’s counsel that it would remove the Heat from the no-contact list, the motion states. However, four days later on 2 June, the government further informed Rozier’s team that they would not remove the condition as it relates to the Hornets. By keeping the Hornets on the list, Rozier’s opportunity to sign with another NBA team would be diminished, Trusty indicated.

Rozier and two other defendants are accused of conspiring to devise a scheme to defraud the Hornets and the NBA of the “intangible right” of the honest services of Rozier through bribery, according to the indictment. One day after prosecutors filed the new charges, the NBA approved a new rule aimed at deterring tanking across the league.

Rozier is due back in court on 10 June for arraignment on the additional charges. Fairley is scheduled to be sentenced on 24 February 2027, a Brooklyn magistrate judge announced last week. Prosecutors are recommending a concurrent prison sentence of 8-10 years for Fairley.