NBA guard Terry Rozier takes shot at dismissal in sports bribery case

Rozier claims a text unearthed during discovery exonerates him of criminal charges in the federal sports betting case.BROOKLYN (CN) — Terry Rozier, the former NBA shooting guard at the center of a federal sports betting case, asked a judge Friday to ax two of the four criminal counts against him, citing a text message he claims should end the entire case against him.Rozier is accused of intentionally undercutting his performance in at least one game, while playing for the Charlotte Hornets, to benefit a group of bettors.U.S. attorneys brought two additional charges against him — bribery in sports and conspiracy to commit wire fraud — in a May superseding indictment, both concerning a March 23, 2023, game against the New Orleans Pelicans.Rozier is accused of telling a friend, his co-defendant Deniro Laster, he planned to exit early, blaming an injury, so he could sell that information to other bettors who could then win prop bets on his underperformance. According to prosecutors, Rozier solicited a $100,000 bribe in turn.In Friday’s filing, Rozier pointed to a text message that prosecutors turned over in discovery from March 29, 2023 — “as the alleged proceeds related to the March 23 game were being collected” — in which Laster writes to a third party, “Dont tell chum bout the bet.” One of Rozier’s nicknames is “Chum.” The recipient answered, “Hell no.”“This should end the case. One does not hide a bet from the person who supposedly sold it,” Rozier argued in the motion filed by his attorney David Markus of Markus/Moss PLLC.Prosecutors addressed the claim in a footnote in their reply: “The government’s investigation has developed evidence from multiple sources that this text chain does not relate to sports gambling.”Rozier also argued prosecutors failed to state an offense in counts three and four, and that the latter repeats a count under the same statute from the initial indictment, making the superseder multiplicitous.Rozier, 32, pleaded not guilty to the charges in the superseder as well as the two in his initial indictment: bribery in sports and money laundering conspiracy.Prosecutors objected to his dismissal request, saying Rozier has been charged with four “distinct but related crimes.” They urged U.S. District Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall to deny the request — and to deny Rozier’s earlier motion to dismiss the first two counts of his indictment.Rozier’s co-defendant Marves “Vez” Fairley, a 40-year-old sports betting influencer who goes by “Vezino Locks” on Instagram, pleaded guilty in May to seven counts including bribery, wire fraud and money laundering.“I agreed to pay a player to change their game performance to give me an advantage on bets I placed for myself and others,” Fairley told U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph Marutollo.Fairley admitted he worked with “other people” to obtain nonpublic information and used it in bets. “I also placed bets on behalf of players” who provided inside information, he said.Rozier, whose trial is set for February 2027, is also seeking to move his case from the Eastern District of New York to the Southern District of Florida, where he lives.“He is not alleged to have set foot here in connection with this case, to have placed or directed a single wager here, or to have sent or received so much as a phone call or a dollar here,” his team said in a Friday filing.Rozier is out on a $3 million bond secured by his South Florida home. He’s barred from gambling in person or online.The charges effectively ended Rozier’s NBA career, he’s argued in court, since he is also barred from contacting a list of players including former Charlotte Hornets teammates who may be called as trial witnesses. He last played for the Miami Heat during the 2024-25 season.Federal prosecutors initially charged Rozier last October, at the same time they brought a separate indictment against NBA players and purported mob members and affiliates. In that case, NBA coach Chauncey Billups is among the players accused of using his “face card” to draw high rollers to rigged poker games run by the Bonanno, Gambino and Genovese crime families.More than a dozen defendants have taken guilty pleas in the poker case, which originally involved 31 men, narrowing the group that will go to trial. A November trial date has been set but the government is seeking to push the proceeding to early 2027 as plea negotiations continue.Categories / Criminal, SportsSubscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads