Sports Bribery Added to Terry Rozier’s Charges in Superseding Indictment
Trouble deepens for former NBAer Terry Rozier, as prosecutors pile on an another charge.
Hours after one of his indicted co-conspirators changed his plea to guilty in a federal sports corruption case, former NBA player Terry Rozier had a charge of sports bribery added to the list of complaints against him in the Eastern District of New York.
In October, federal prosecutors charged Rozier, Eric Earnest, Shane Hennen, Marves Fairley, and Deniro Laster with conspiring to use inside information for the purpose of winning bets and therefore defrauding unnamed sportsbooks. Rozier, specifically, was charged with signalling to co-conspirators that he would intentionally underperform in a March 23, 2023 game as a member of the Charlotte Hornets so that gamblers could win by betting the “under” on certain props.
In a superseding indictment filed on Thursday, federal prosecutors now allege that Rozier accepted a $100,000 bribe to tank his performance in that game. Rozier pleaded not guilty to the original charges of wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy and asked for the trial to be dismissed in December.
His attorney, Jim Trusty told ESPN on Thursday: “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.”
Marves Fairley, Guilty as Charged
Fairley pleaded guilty as part of a plea agreement to seven counts of wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy in the Rozier case and a separate NCAA point-shaving scandal.
“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 told NBC News.
According to the new indictment, Rozier agreed to offer some of that bribe to Laster, who with Hennen, “lined up individuals who were poised to be on the inside information once Rozier identified that particular game he would withdraw from,” according to the indictment.
Rozier Conspired To Defraud Hornets and NBA, Prosecutors Allege
Rozier planned to use a previous leg injury as an excuse for removing himself from the game against the New Orleans Pelicans, the indictment says. After Rozier allegedly told Laster of his plan, gamblers placed more than $258,700 in bets on his underperformance for that game.
Rozier, who was not on an official injury report pre-game, finished with five points, four rebounds and two assists. Because his four rebounds ruined one of the prop bets, according to the indictment, he agreed to reduce the amount paid for the performance to $70,000.
The new indictment claims that Rozier and his co-defendants, through their alleged actions, conspired to defraud the Hornets and the NBA of the player’s “honest and faithful services.”
Terry Rozier superseding indictment
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