Terry Rozier pleads not guilty to new sports bribery charges
Terry Rozier denied new federal bribery charges as prosecutors tied him to a $100,000 payoff and a betting scheme built around a 2023 Hornets game.
Terry Rozier pleaded not guilty Wednesday to new federal charges that prosecutors say grew out of a betting scheme built around his performance in a March 23, 2023, Charlotte Hornets game. The superseding indictment, filed May 28 in the Eastern District of New York, adds sports bribery and honest services wire fraud conspiracy counts to a case that already placed Rozier inside a wider illegal wagering and money laundering probe.
Prosecutors allege Rozier accepted or agreed to accept a $100,000 bribe to influence the Hornets’ game against the New Orleans Pelicans. They say bettors put more than $258,700 on his unders, and that Rozier played just over nine minutes before leaving with what he said was a foot injury. He finished with five points, four rebounds and two assists. Investigators say the alleged bribe was later cut to $70,000 because some wagers lost when Rozier reached four rebounds, a detail that underscores how tightly the bets were linked to his stat line.
The new charges build on the broader federal case that first named six men in October 2025, including Rozier, former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones, and Rozier’s longtime friend Deniro Laster. Federal authorities say the group used non-public injury and lineup information to make money from wagers worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Prosecutors also said Marves Fairley and Damon Jones have since pleaded guilty, a sign that the case is widening and that prosecutors are pressing the cooperation of defendants they believe were inside the betting operation.
Rozier had already pleaded not guilty in December 2025 to wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy. He remains free on a $3 million bond secured by his South Florida home, with conditions that bar gambling and restrict contact with the Charlotte Hornets. His lawyer, Jim Trusty, has pushed to dismiss the case and ease the Hornets contact ban, arguing it could affect Rozier’s ability to pursue NBA free agency, which begins June 30.
The NBA had previously investigated the March 2023 game and said in January 2024 that it found no rules violations. Rozier was traded from Charlotte to the Miami Heat in January 2024 and waived in April 2026, while an arbitrator recently ruled that he must forfeit much of his $26.6 million salary for the 2025-26 season because he violated his NBA contract. For leagues, sportsbooks and fans, the case is a reminder that the credibility of game integrity can be undermined not only by point shaving, but by the steady exploitation of player-specific betting markets that now surround every possession.
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