David PurdumDec 23, 2025, 01:52 PM ETClose Joined ESPN in 2014 Journalist covering gambling industry since 2008Follow on X
Is it possible for the to Heat trade Terry Rozier? (1:38)Tim Bontemps reports on the Heat’s frustration with the Hornets over the investigation into possible gambling infractions by Terry Rozier. (1:38)
Attorneys for NBA player Terry Rozier say the government overstepped when it accused his client of wire fraud stemming from his alleged involvement in a sports betting scheme and are asking a federal judge to dismiss the charges.
In a legal document made public Tuesday, Jim Trusty, Rozier’s attorney, argues that the federal government failed to clearly state Rozier’s offense in the indictment and is trying to “enforce its view of integrity in sports wagering.”
A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York declined to comment. The government’s response is due by Feb. 2.
Rozier was arrested on Oct. 23 and charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He was arraigned Dec. 9 and pleaded not guilty to both charges in federal court in Brooklyn. If the wire fraud charge were to be dismissed, the money laundering charge would be moot for lack of a predicate crime.
Prosecutors allege that Rozier told codefendant Deniro Laster that he would leave a March 23, 2023, game in the first quarter due to an injury for the “purpose of enabling Laster to place wagers on this information.”
Rozier, who was a member of the Charlotte Hornets at the time, was not listed on the team’s pregame injury report. He left the game against the New Orleans Pelicans after playing just over nine minutes and did not return.
“The indictment does not allege that Mr. Rozier ever placed a bet, whether himself or through a proxy, on any NBA game,” Trusty wrote in the motion to dismiss. “Nor does it allege that he knew that Laster intended to sell this information to others, or that using it to place wagers would violate the Betting Companies’ rules.”
“The potential conflicts relate to co-defendant Terry Rozier’s (“Rozier”) payment of Laster’s attorney fees and recent public comments made by Rozier’s lawyer suggesting that Rozier’s defense strategy at trial will be to inculpate Laster,” the prosecutors wrote.
“Because your attorney is being paid by Terry Rozier, he may be influenced by Rozier in connection with his representation of you, that is, he may be influenced to advise you to do things that are in Rozier’s best interests and not in your best interests. Do you understand that?” prosecutors wrote.
Laster submitted an affidavit in response to the government’s concerns, stating that he understood the issues and was waiving any potential conflict of interest.
In his motion to dismiss, Trusty cited a 2023 United States Supreme Court ruling on the requirements for a wire fraud charge. Paul Tuchmann, a former U.S. assistant attorney in the Eastern District of New York, said in a wire fraud case, prosecutors must prove that the purpose of the alleged scheme was to deprive the victim of money or property.
“It can’t just be that you lied to the victim … but you also have to prove that the lie either successfully did or at least was intended to cause the victim of the alleged scheme to give up money or property as a result of it,” Tuchmann told ESPN.
Tuchmann, now a partner with law firm Wiggin and Dana, added that the alleged victims in the Rozier case are the sportsbooks, which paid out money on the winning bets.
“They were deprived of money or property under false pretenses that was paid to Rozier’s alleged coconspirators and people he aided and abetted,” Tuchmann said.
Is it possible for the to Heat trade Terry Rozier? (1:38)Tim Bontemps reports on the Heat’s frustration with the Hornets over the investigation into possible gambling infractions by Terry Rozier. (1:38)
Tim Bontemps reports on the Heat’s frustration with the Hornets over the investigation into possible gambling infractions by Terry Rozier. (1:38)
The prosecutors included a list of questions for Laster in their filing.
Close Joined ESPN in 2014 Journalist covering gambling industry since 2008Follow on X