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Miami Heat player Terry Rozier pleaded not guilty Monday to charges that he helped gamblers place bets on his NBA performance.
The 31-year-old security guard entered a formal plea during his plea in federal court in Brooklyn, NY, to fraud and $ 3 million in the US protected by his home in Florida.
Prosecutors say Rozier conspired to help them win bets on his performance in a March 2023 game for the Charlotte Hornets.
He was also ordered by Magistrate Clay Kaminsky not to gamble, possess firearms or contact victims, dealers and witnesses in this case. Rozier, who is from Ohio, additionally surrendered his passport and was barred from traveling between Florida, Ohio and New York without prior approval.
Rozier, dressed in a gray suit, did not speak in court except to answer the Judge’s questions “yes” or “no”. He and his attorney, Jim Loyalty, declined to comment after the brief hearing.
Rozier is expected to join five other co-workers, their attorneys and prosecutors in a hearing Monday. He previously appeared before a federal judge in Orlando on Oct. 23, when the prosecutors first announced the case.
His attorney denied the charges at the time, saying his client was “not a gambler” and was “looking forward to winning this fight.”
Christopher RAIA, the assistant director in charge of the New York office in New York, spoke on Thursday after the law arrested 34 people for alleged involvement in what he involved with sports crime families.
More than 30 people have been arrested in the Sprawling Federal Takedown of Legal Activities linked to professional games, including several Mafia figures. Portland Trail Blazers coach and NBA Hall of Famer Chauncey Billips pleaded guilty to a separate scheme to fix high-stakes, illegal mafia poker games.
Prosecutors said Rozier informed the referees that he intended to leave the game against the new Pelicans in New Orleans in the morning with a sworn injury, which allows gamblers to place wagers that receive tens of thousands of dollars.
Rozier played the first nine minutes and 36 seconds of the game before leaving, revealing the problem. He did not play again that time.
Another NBA figure included in the investigation is Damon Jones, who pleaded guilty last month to charges that contributed to the Stars Lebron James while working as an assistant coach for Los Angeles during the 20222023 season. Jones, a former NBA player, is also being sued along with Billups and others in a separate poker scheme.
Both Billups and Rozier have been placed on unpaid leave by their teams as their court cases play out.
Rozier earned nearly $160 million over a 10-year NBA career. He was a first round pick of the Boston Celtics in 2015 after starring at the University of Louisville. Charlotte sold him in the heat last year.
