The teams themselves had no knowledge of or involvement in the gambling scheme. But information about them was allegedly spread illegally to those wagering on their games.
Those implicated in the sharing of illegal gambling information are Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and 49-year-old former NBA player Damon Jones. Both are among the 31 individuals arrested in connection with the “sports rigging” scheme, or with illegal poker rings allegedly run by the mob.
The scheme investigated by the FBI probe ran from January 2022 to March 2024. During that time, Rozier and Jones allegedly shared information on injuries and which players would be inactive for games.
Jones, who is also a longtime friend of Lakers star LeBron James, allegedly told members of his ring on February 9, 2023, that James was hurt and would not be available for the Lakers’ game against the Bucks.
“Get a big bet on Milwaukee tonight before the information is out!” Jones wrote, according to the indictment.
The Lakers lost the game. James is not accused of any wrongdoing.
“Defendants use this non-public information to place hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraudulent bets, mostly in the form of prop bets on individual player performance,” said Joseph Nocella Jr., the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
“The defendants relied on a network of straw bettors to place the maximum amount of bets to increase their potential profits. Most of these bets succeeded, and the intended losses were in the millions of dollars.”
According to the indictment, when Rozier was playing for the Charlotte Hornets, he allegedly told friends he planned to leave a March 23, 2023, game with a purported injury. His friends then used that information and bet over $200,000 on Rozier to make the “under” on prop bets.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch then says that Rozier left the game after playing only 9 minutes. His friends, who had cashed in on his “tip,” showed up at the player’s house after the game to count their winnings.
Rozier was arrested Thursday morning in Orlando, hours after the Heat lost to the Orlando Magic.
“Each defendant in the NBA basketball gambling case has been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering,” the Post reports.
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