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Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier has pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering related to an illegal gambling scheme in which he allegedly participated. The 31-year-old guard formally entered the plea during his arraignment in Brooklyn federal court on Monday.
Rozier was arrested for his alleged involvement in a 2023 game in which he played less than 10 minutes, citing a foot injury. Several people placed high-stakes bets on Rozier to perform poorly before the game, and they all won.
Rozier’s attorney, Jim Trusty, admitted on Pak Gazette Digital shortly after his client’s arrest that Rozier “told a friend” he was retiring from the game early, which “is not a crime.” Trusty said Rozier was dealing with a “chronic injury,” but Rozier had not been listed on the Charlotte Hornets’ injury report before the game.
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Terry Rozier of the Miami Heat leaves federal court in Brooklyn on Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
However, Rozier is alleged to have told a childhood friend, Deniro Laster, that he was retiring from the game early, citing an injury so that Laster could place bets based on the information. According to the indictment, neither Hornets officials nor betting companies were informed of Rozier’s scheme.
Laster then allegedly sold that information to other co-conspirators, and numerous people placed bets totaling approximately $200,000 on Rozier’s “under” bets to hit both parlay bets and straight bets. After Rozier played only nine minutes and never returned, the bets won. Rozier and Laster counted the cash winnings at Rozier’s Charlotte home about a week later, the indictment says.
Rozier, dressed in a gray suit, did not speak in court other than to answer the judge’s “yes” or “no” questions. He declined to comment afterwards, but his lawyer Trusty said his client was “excited” to begin preparing his defense against the charges.
Charlotte Hornets guard Terry Rozier (3) looks to pass against the Boston Celtics during the second half at Spectrum Center. (Nell Redmond/USA Today Sports)
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Trusty said at a later hearing with the five other defendants in the case that he would soon file a motion to dismiss the case on constitutional grounds. He also urged the judge to proceed with the case on a “expeditious” timeline, saying Rozier is dealing with “multiple levels of litigation,” including arbitration with the NBA, but U.S. District Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall brushed aside those concerns, saying “arbitration with the league is none of my concern.”
Hall set the next hearing in the case for March 3 after hearing from prosecutors that they would soon be turning over “voluminous” amounts of evidence to defense attorneys, including an initial set of 1,000 documents and more than 55 gigabytes of data.
Rozier was one of more than 30 people, along with NBA figures Chauncey Billups and Damon Jones, who were part of FBI investigations into alleged illegal gambling with ties to the La Cosa Nostra crime families. Billups and Jones are alleged to have knowingly participated in rigged poker games, while Jones also allegedly leaked non-public information about NBA games for those close to him to place bets with a competitive advantage.
Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier and Damon Jones were arrested in October. (Jaime Valdez/Imagn Images, Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images, Greg Nelson/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
Both Billups and Rozier have been placed on unpaid leave from their teams while their court cases unfold.
