Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier is expected to be receive additional charges for his alleged involvement in a sports betting operation that came to light in October.
Federal prosecutors said in court Monday that Rozier may face an additional indictment on May 14. The new charges include bribery in sports and honest-services wire fraud. Authorities will add those to the previous charges of wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy.
Prosecutors allege the 32-year-old former member of the Boston Celtics rigged his play to benefit a betting operation.
Assistant US Attorney Kaitlin Farrell said Rozier “deprived the NBA and the Charlotte Hornets of his honest services” by leaving a 2023 game early with a fake injury.
Attorney Sought Dismissal
At the hearing, Rozier’s attorney, James Trusty, had been attempting to have the case dismissed. He argued the charges were based on an improper application of the federal wire fraud statute, according to Courthouse News Service.
Trusty said the new charges show that the government’s case is weak. He said its seeking “new theories” to keep the case moving forward. Farrell refuted that claim: “We’re not changing our theory.”
In October, the FBI said Rozier and others “had access to private information known by NBA players or NBA coaches.” They used that info to help rig games. In exchange, they received a fee or share of the betting profits.
The feds also indicted NBA veteran Damon Jones as part of the operation. They implicated Jones in a separate case involving rigged poker games, as well as the sports betting scandal. Jones initially pleaded not guilty, but changed his plea to guilty on April 28 regarding charges related to providing inside information to sports bettors.
In January, the first suspect in the sports betting operation pled guilty to defrauding sportsbooks by using non-public information to place large wagers.
In the poker cheating operation, federal law enforcement arrested Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups. They charged him with conspiracy, money laundering, and wire fraud. He has pleaded not guilty.
