Former Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier indicted on new bribery charges alleging he left games early to help gamblers cash in over $250,000

(SeaPRwire) –   Federal prosecutors have brought new charges against former Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, linking him to a sports gambling operation. They claim he accepted a large bribe to leave a game prematurely in March 2023.

On Thursday, the 32-year-old Rozier was charged in a superseding indictment in a Brooklyn federal court with bribery in sporting contests and conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud. Superseding indictments are filed when prosecutors seek to alter or introduce new charges to an ongoing criminal case.

Rozier has denied involvement in the gambling plot. After entering a not guilty plea to charges of wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy in December, he has been seeking to have the case thrown out. His legal team contends, among other arguments, that the prosecution’s core idea—that he stopped sportsbooks from making educated choices on certain wagers—contradicts a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that limited the scope of the federal wire fraud law.

In an email to The Associated Press, Rozier’s lawyer, Jim Trusty, stated the fresh indictment “just confirms that our motion to dismiss was righteous — new charges, new theories, but all just an effort to make something stick.”

Rozier was taken into custody in October alongside ex-NBA player Damon Jones, who admitted guilt last month for his part in schemes to cheat major sportsbooks like DraftKings and FanDuel. Other individuals implicated include sports bettor and influencer Marves Fairley, who pleaded guilty on Thursday to conspiracy, bribery, and other federal charges related to gambling schemes focused on basketball games in the United States and China.

Rozier is currently out on a $3 million bond. The legal proceedings have prevented him from playing this season.

The updated indictment claims Rozier defrauded not only sportsbooks but also the NBA and his former team, the Charlotte Hornets.

He is alleged to have conspired with gamblers, using a persistent lower leg injury as a pretext to exit a game early. This allowed them to collect on over $250,000 in bets that his statistical outputs for points, assists, and other categories would fall below the lines set by sportsbooks.

According to the superseding indictment, not every bet succeeded because Rozier gathered four rebounds, exceeding the betting line. Consequently, following the game, Rozier and his alleged co-conspirators agreed to reduce his bribe payment from $100,000 to approximately $70,000.

The new indictment targeting Rozier was submitted just hours after Fairley, known as “Vezino Locks” on Instagram, entered his guilty plea. As part of his admission, Fairley confessed to prosecutors’ claims that he utilized insider knowledge to gain an advantage betting on NBA, NCAA, and Chinese Professional Basketball League games. This included paying $100,000 to a longtime friend of Rozier’s for a tip that Rozier intended to leave a game early.

Fairley’s attorney, Eric Siegle, said his client “deeply regrets and is ashamed of his conduct.”

“By publicly acknowledging his guilt and conduct today, Marves is taking the first step toward atoning for his wrongful conduct and to starting his ‘second half’ on the right foot,” Siegle said. ____ Associated Press reporter Michael R. Sisak contributed from New York. Boone reported from Boise, Idaho.