Attorneys clash over text meaning in Rozier betting caseDavid PurdumJul 31, 2026, 10:53 AM ETClose
- Joined ESPN in 2014
- Journalist covering gambling industry since 2008
Terry Rozier’s attorney and federal prosecutors sparred in dueling court filings Friday over the significance of a text message sent by a co-defendant in the NBA veteran’s gambling case.
In a motion to dismiss two charges against Rozier, attorney David Markus wrote that a text sent by co-conspirator Deniro Laster shows that Rozier did not know about the alleged bets. Laster, a childhood friend of Rozier, is accused of selling inside information about Rozier’s plan to leave a March 2023 game early as part of the alleged betting scheme.
“Dont tell chum bout the bet,” Laster wrote, according to the filing. “Chum” is Rozier’s nickname, the filing noted.
The recipient answered, “Hell no,” according to the filing.
Markus argued that these texts, which he stated were included in the government’s discovery, “should end the case.”
“One does not hide a bet from the person who supposedly sold it,” he wrote.
In a response filed shortly after, federal prosecutors stated they have “developed evidence from multiple sources that this text chain does not relate to sports gambling.”
Markus then responded in another filing that the government “has produced co-conspirator statements confirming that Mr. Rozier did not know about the bets before the game.” It is not immediately clear what those statements are.
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Markus declined comment, as did a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
Rozier was arrested in October 2025 in a sweeping indictment accusing him of manipulating his performance in a March 23, 2023, game between the Charlotte Hornets and the New Orleans Pelicans for the benefit of gamblers. Prosecutors added two additional counts in May, accusing Rozier of agreeing to a $100,000 bribe.
Rozier has pleaded not guilty. His attorneys asked a judge in December to dismiss the initial charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering, arguing government overreach.
The new filing Friday asked a judge to also dismiss the two additional charges of bribery in sporting contests and honest services wire fraud conspiracy.
Markus also filed a motion Friday asking for the case to be moved from the Eastern District of New York to the Southern District of Florida, where Rozier lives. He argued that none of Rozier’s alleged actions took place in New York and requiring him to stand trial in Brooklyn would cause “unfairness and hardship.”
In another filing, the government opposed this move.
Rozier’s trial is scheduled for Feb. 8, 2027. Two of his co-defendants, Marves Fairley and former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones, have pleaded guilty.
