US prosecutors to file new bribery charges against Terry Rozier
Federal prosecutors plan to file new sports bribery and wire fraud charges against NBA player Terry Rozier by mid-May over his alleged role in a 2023 gambling scheme.
Assistant US attorney Kaitlin Farrell confirmed the government’s intention to bring superseding charges against the veteran guard during a court hearing in New York City on Monday.
These anticipated charges from the Eastern District of New York would officially designate the National Basketball Association as the victim of the alleged illicit activity.
Suspicious betting patterns investigated
The 30-year-old was initially indicted in October on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering.
Authorities have been investigating suspicious wagers placed on a regular-season game between the Charlotte Hornets and the New Orleans Pelicans on 23 March 2023.
Prosecutors allege the former Hornets playmaker informed childhood friend Deniro Laster that he intended to deliberately remove himself early from that specific fixture.
Laster is then accused of selling this inside information to bettors who successfully wagered on the unders for the basketball star’s statistical outputs.
During the match in question, the guard exited the court after just nine minutes having recorded five points, two assists, and four rebounds.
Legal team challenges prosecution
The latest court hearing was originally scheduled to address a defence motion to dismiss the initial charges, but proceedings were dominated by the revelation of the impending superseding indictment.
Jim Trusty, the defence attorney representing the American athlete, stated that his legal team was only informed of the potential new charges two hours before the hearing began.
“Our motion to dismiss is based on the idea that they picked an invalid legal theory to prosecute Terry Rozier.”
Trusty added that he fully expects his team will identify similar problems with the government’s revised legal approach once the superseding indictment is filed.
Wider implications of the scandal
The unfolding investigation involves six men who were indicted last autumn in connection with the illicit sharing of confidential NBA information.
In a related development, former player and assistant coach Damon Jones, who is named as a co-defendant in the broader case, is expected to formally plead guilty to associated charges on Tuesday.
The presiding judge has yet to issue a ruling regarding the defence’s current motion to dismiss the original case against the embattled player.