Federal prosecutors allege Terry Rozier agreed to a $100,000 bribe in order to manipulate his performance in an NBA game as part of a gambling scheme and filed two new charges against him Thursday.
The government filed a new indictment with additional charges of bribery in sporting contests and honest services wire fraud conspiracy. It named the NBA and the Charlotte Hornets, whom Rozier was playing for at the time, as victims of the alleged conspiracy.
Rozier has denied participating in the scheme, and his attorney, Jim Trusty of Ifrah Law, asked a judge to dismiss the case in December, arguing that the government overstepped.
"The superseding indictment just confirms that our motion to dismiss was righteous -- new charges, new theories, but all just a sad effort to make something stick," Trusty told ESPN.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of New York declined comment.
The indictment alleges Rozier planned to use a leg injury he suffered late in the 2022-23 season as a reason to withdraw himself from an upcoming Hornets game in exchange for the $100,000 bribe.
Rozier allegedly informed co-defendant Deniro Laster that he would remove himself from a March 23, 2023, game against the New Orleans Pelicans due to the injury. Laster shared the information with multiple bettors, who then placed more than $258,700 in wagers on the under on Rozier's various statistics, according to the indictment.
Rozier played just over nine minutes before coming out of the game. He finished with five points, four rebounds and two assists, resulting in most of the bets winning. Rozier agreed to reduce the alleged bribe to $70,000 after the game because his four rebounds caused some of the bets to lose, according to the indictment.
Rozier is one of six men who were indicted in October on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering.
On Thursday, defendant Marves Fairley pleaded guilty to the charges related to the alleged NBA betting scheme. Former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones has also pleaded guilty in the case.
Rozier, who was traded to the Miami Heat in January 2024, was waived by the team in April.