New York (AFP) – NBA veteran Terry Rozier has asked a federal judge to throw out two of the four charges he faces in an alleged sports gambling scheme that rocked the US basketball world last year. In a filing on Friday in US District Court in New York, Rozier’s attorney David Markus argued that a text message sent by alleged co-conspirator Deniro Laster showed Rozier did not agree to manipulate his performance for the benefit of bettors.
The text message also indicated that Rozier didn’t know anyone was betting on his statistics during a March 23, 2023 game he played for the Charlotte Hornets. “Don’t tell chum bout the bet,” a text from Laster reads, according to the filing, with Markus saying that “Chum” is Rozier’s nickname. The recipient answered “Hell no,” according to the filing.
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Prosecutors have alleged that Rozier advised co-conspirators he would leave that game early and allow them to make bets accordingly, but Markus said the texts “should end the case.” “One does not hide a bet from the person who supposedly sold it,” Markus wrote. Prosecutors responded with a filing in which they said they have “developed evidence from multiple sources that this text chain does not relate to sports gambling.”
Rozier was arrested in October 2025 and accused of manipulating his performance in the March 23, 2023 game. In May, prosecutors added two more charges, accusing Rozier of agreeing to a $100,000 bribe. Rozier, a free agent who has played for the Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets, and Miami Heat, has pleaded not guilty.
In December, his lawyers asked a judge to dismiss the initial charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering, but a superseding indictment was issued in May, maintaining those charges and adding two more. On Friday, they sought dismissal of charges of bribery in sporting contests and honest services wire fraud conspiracy. Markus also asked that the case, set to go to trial next February, be moved from the Eastern District of New York to the Southern District of Florida, where Rozier lives.
Two others charged in the sweeping case, former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones and self-described “gambling guru” Marves Fairley, have pleaded guilty to multiple charges.
© 2024 AFP
