TITLE: Grand Jury Adds Sports Bribery, Honest Services Counts Against Terry Rozier
SLUG: terry-rozier-faces-new-sports-bribery-fraud-charges
CONTENT:
Veteran guard Terry Rozier, whose contract with the Miami Heat runs through June 30, was hit with two additional federal charges on Thursday after a grand jury in Brooklyn, New York, returned a superseding indictment.
According to court papers filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, Rozier now faces one count of sports bribery and one count of honest services fraud. He had already pleaded not guilty to two wire-fraud counts following his arrest in October.
Prosecutors allege Rozier accepted roughly $100,000 to remove himself early from a Charlotte Hornets game on March 23, 2023, in New Orleans. At the time, he was averaging more than 21 points and 35 minutes per contest but logged only 9:34 that night before citing a foot injury. He then missed the Hornets’ final eight games of the 2022-23 season with the same injury.
The indictment claims Rozier conspired with gamblers Deniro Laster, Marves Fairley, and Shane Hennen. Prosecutors say Rozier told Laster of his plan, and Laster relayed the information to Fairley and Hennen, who allegedly placed wagers based on the scheme.
Fairley pleaded guilty Thursday to seven felony counts, two of which relate to the Rozier matter. While Fairley did not name the player in court, a prosecutor later identified Rozier. Laster and Hennen have pleaded not guilty.
Rozier’s attorney, Jim Trusty, denied any wrongdoing. “There are some desperate men in this case with terrible criminal records and tons of exposure, and they know what to say to please these prosecutors,” Trusty said, calling the new charges “an effort to see what sticks.”
Former NBA guard and assistant coach Damon Jones pleaded guilty last month in a separate but related portion of the investigation, becoming the first defendant to do so.
Source: Hoops Rumors
