Indicted NBA player Terry Rozier settles $8.2 million federal tax bond
Terry Rozier, the NBA player accused of criminal sports betting, has settled at least one other issue with the federal government: a multimillion-dollar tax lien.
On Oct. 29, the IRS filed a certificate of release in Broward County, Fla., where Rozier resides, confirming he had satisfied the $8.2 million bond, originally assessed in August 2023.
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The release came a day after ESPN reported the bond, which came just months after Rozier was accused of taking part in a betting scheme that featured prop wages on his performance as a member of the Charlotte Hornets.
A federal indictment alleges that Rozier informed a friend, Deniro Laster, that he planned to leave a game early on March 23, 2023, against the New Orleans Pelicans, and that Laster and other individuals used that information to place $200,000 in bets predicting that Rozier would underperform his statistical averages.
Rozier, who was averaging 35.3 minutes and 21.1 points per game at the time, exited the game against New Orleans less than 10 minutes into the first quarter and did not return, finishing with five points.
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Rozier’s attorney, Jim Trusty, told ESPN last month that Rozier actually only owed $9,000 on the more than $8 million tax bill and that it had already been paid.
“We just need the IRS to help us remove the now-defunct lien,” Trusty said at the time. The attorney did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Sporty.
After his arrest on Oct. 23, Rozier, currently with the Miami Heat, was placed on immediate leave by the NBA, a move quickly condemned by the NBA Players Association, which said it would appeal.
The government alleges that after the March 23, 2023, game, Laster drove from Philadelphia to Rozier’s home in Charlotte, where they counted the tens of thousands of dollars in profits the scheme had yielded. Rozier’s arraignment is due next month and his lawyer Trusty said the player intends to plead not guilty.
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