Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier to be arraigned over sports betting scheme

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NEW YORK (AP) — Miami Heat player Terry Rozier is set to appear Monday in a federal court in Brooklyn on charges he helped gamblers placing bets on his performance in NBA games.

The 31-year-old point guard will be formally arraigned in New York on federal wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy charges. He'll also join five other co-defendants and their lawyers for a pretrial hearing later in the day on the case.

Rozier previously appeared before a federal judge in Orlando on Oct. 23, when prosecutors first announced the indictment. At the time, he was released with conditions.

One of his lawyers, Jim Trusty, denied the charges, saying the Ohio native was “not a gambler” and “looks forward to winning this fight.”

More than 30 people have been arrested in connection with the sprawling federal takedown of illegal gambling operations linked to professional sports, including several Mafia figures. Portland Trail Blazers coach and NBA Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups has pleaded not guilty in a separate scheme to fix high-stakes, Mafia-backed illegal poker games.

Prosecutors say Rozier conspired with friends to help them win bets on his performance in a March 2023 game when he played for the Charlotte Hornets.

They say he informed the bettors that he intended to leave the game against the New Orleans Pelicans early with a supposed injury, allowing gamblers to place wagers earning them tens of thousands of dollars.

Rozier played the first nine minutes and 36 seconds of the game before leaving, citing a foot issue. He did not play again that season.

The other NBA figure ensnared in the investigation is Damon Jones, who pleaded not guilty last month to charges he provided sports bettors with nonpublic information about injuries to stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis while serving as an unofficial assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2022-2023 season. Jones, a former NBA player, is also indicted along with Billups and others in the separate poker scheme.

Both Billups and Rozier have been placed on unpaid leave from their teams as their court cases play out.

Rozier has earned about $160 million over a 10-year NBA career. He was a first-round pick for the Boston Celtics in 2015 after starring at the University of Louisville. Charlotte traded him to the Heat last year.

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