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 is 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.”
“The government has billed this case as involving ‘insider betting’ and ‘rigging’ professional basketball games,” Trusty, a partner at Ifrah Law, wrote. “But the indictment alleges something less headline-worthy: that some bettors broke certain sportsbooks’ terms of use.”
A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The government’s response is due by Feb. 2, 2026.
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 co-defendant 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.
Laster sold the information about Rozier to known bettors for approximately $100,000, according to the indictment. Using the information, bettors placed more than $200,000 in bets on the under on Rozier’s statistics in the game against the Pelicans, according to the indictment. Federal prosecutors allege that Laster drove to Rozier’s house in Charlotte a week after the game and “counted the money” he had obtained from the bets.
“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.”
Last week, federal prosecutors expressed concern about a potential conflict of interest and asked the judge to assign a separate attorney to Laster, after it was revealed that Rozier was paying Laster’s legal fees. Laster is represented by attorney Evan Corcoran.
“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.
The prosecutors included a list of questions for Laster in their filing.
“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 co-conspirators and people he aided and abetted,” Tuchmann said.