Terry Rozier seeks to have charges thrown out in NBA gambling case

Terry Rozier’s attorneys filed a motion in federal court asking a judge to throw out the charges in a gambling case that has sidelined him from playing point guard for the Miami Heat so far this season. 

Rozier pleaded not guilty earlier this month to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Prosecutors allege the conspiracies happened between December 2022 and March 2024. 

Federal prosecutors accused Rozier of participating in a scheme which facilitated bets on NBA basketball games that allegedly took advantage of insider information related to injury reports.

His lawyers argued in the filing made public on Tuesday that Rozier’s alleged involvement in the wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies is limited. 

His attorneys argued that the government’s claim that sportsbooks completed bets that otherwise might not have been honored is a theory of fraud that “has repeatedly been rejected,” and they argue that the federal wire fraud statute had been narrowed by a recent Supreme Court ruling. 

“The only basis for any alleged misconduct is breaching the sportsbook rules themselves, rather than any cognizable theory of fraud,” Rozier’s lawyers,  A. Jeff Ifrah and James Trusty, wrote. The attorneys also argue in the motion that the indictment fails to allege an essential element of money laundering conspiracy: that Rozier agreed to commit the offense. Thus, they argue, both charges should be dropped.

Federal prosecutors accused Rozier of participating in a scheme surrounding a Charlotte Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans game on March 23, 2023. Rozier, who played for the Hornets before being traded to the Miami Heat in early 2024, played only 9 minutes and 34 seconds, leaving the game with right foot discomfort.

The indictment alleges that Rozier passed this information before the game to his close childhood friend and co-defendant Deniro Laster. His friend then allegedly placed wagers using that information and allegedly sold that information to others, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said in a Dec. 16 letter to the judge, right after Rozier’s attorneys filed their motion to dismiss but before it was made public, that Laster has lived with Rozier and has frequently traveled with him to attend Rozier’s games. Between approximately December 2022 and May 2025, Laster was paid over $165,000 in regular payments from Rozier’s company, GMB Chronicles LLC, the prosecutors’ letter said. 

Rozier’s attorneys said in their motion, “Mr. Rozier’s only role in the alleged scheme was to provide nonpublic information to Deniro Laster that enabled Laster to place wagers using that information.” 

A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York did not respond to a request for comment before publication.  

The letter filed by the government last week detailed a growing dispute between the government and Rozier over the intertwined relationship between the co-defendants. The letter notifies the court about a potential conflict, alleging that Rozier was paying for Laster’s legal fees. Prosecutors also point to their concerns about Rozier’s attorney making public comments on the case, such as saying Rozier relied on a “bad friend,” and was “confiding in a friend,” and “that’s not a crime.”

Rozier was arrested in Orlando on Oct. 23 during a sweeping FBI crackdown in which 34 defendants were snagged across two federal indictments.

Rozier appeared in court in Brooklyn on Dec. 8 alongside Laster. He was released on a $3 million bond secured by his home in Florida and another property.

Laster, who lives in Cleveland, was released on a $50,000 secured bond by his mother and cousin. 

Both defendants surrendered their passports, agreed to travel limitations, be tested for substances and not partake in gambling, among other bond conditions. They are due back in court on March 3 for a hearing before U.S. District Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall.