Hours after his arrest Thursday morning, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier was indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud as a federal investigation alleges he manipulated his playing time to aid a group of sports bettors.
Key Takeaways
- Joint task force indicted 34 defendants on wire fraud charges.
- Rozier allegedly told a group of bettors he would manipulate his playing time to hit under props.
- Chauncey Billups and Damon Jones were involved in a rigged poker game.
The FBI, U.S. Attorney’s Office from the Eastern District of New York, and local law enforcement officials released information on Thursday on Rozier’s activity in a widespread gambling scandal case, as well as a rigged poker game involving Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones.
Rozier was part of 34 defendants being charged in the two separate gambling cases. The multi-year investigation spanned 11 states and involved tens of millions of dollars, FBI Director Kash Patel said.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch announced that “Operation Nothing But Bet,” a joint effort with the FBI, “exposed a gambling ring built around professional basketball.” Players allegedly used inside information to manipulate player prop bets placed at online sportsbooks.
The bets were placed on unders involving player points, rebounds, and assists. The case is tied to Jontay Porter, a former NBA player who pleaded guilty last year to wire fraud charges. Rozier and other defendants in the case allegedly had provided inside information for a fee or a share of the betting profits.
Rozier is accused of “letting others close to him” know that, before a game, he would remove himself with an injury during a March 2023 contest he participated in while a member of the Charlotte Hornets. The federal task force said bettors placed $200,000 on his under props.
Rozier left the game with a “supposed” injury after nine minutes of action, “generating tens of thousands of dollars in profit,” Tisch said. The group of bettors met later at Rozier’s home to count their earnings and deliver his “proceeds.”
Rozier was arrested in Orlando early Thursday morning and is scheduled to appear in a federal court in Florida for his arraignment on Thursday afternoon. The Heat guard did not play in the team’s season opener on Wednesday due to a coach’s decision.
Rozier was cleared by the NBA earlier this year after online sports betting operators flagged him for unusual betting activity. A person in Biloxi, Miss., placed over $13,000 in wagers on Rozier’s under props, alerting sportsbooks. It's one of the most notable incidents involving athletes betting on pro sports.
The U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said that sports betting operators were “victims” and did nothing unlawful in this case.
At the same news conference on Thursday, federal investigators announced that Billups, an NBA Hall of Famer, and Jones were arrested and indicted for helping operate a Mafia-backed poker game designed to cheat players out of millions of dollars.
