Last month, a federal judge denied Terry Rozier’s request to potentially return to the NBA. The 32-year-old star’s bond terms placed a bunch of league employees, players, and staff from the Charlotte Hornets on his no-contact list. Barely a month later, the nature of Rozier’s court case has gotten even more complex.

“Federal prosecutors have asked the judge overseeing the NBA insider trading case to put one of the defendants into custody because, they say, he tried to intimidate witnesses and obstruct justice,” according to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic.

“The defendant, Deniro Laster, is accused of collaborating with Terry Rozier as part of an alleged scheme where Rozier removed himself from a March 2023 game to benefit gamblers.”

Here’s exactly what is going on.

Laster and his childhood friend Rozier belong to a crew called GMB. Prosecutors argue in their new legal filing that this group has a reputation for “having access to weapons.” Laster has been accused of trying to intimidate potential witnesses while also violating his bond terms by posting “a rat emoji” on Instagram.

Laster reportedly reached out to another defendant last year after being indicted, and told them that they and “their co-defendants would avoid conviction if they stayed silent, i.e., refrained from cooperating with law enforcement.”

Meanwhile, Rozier has not been accused of any tampering. However, the former NBA player’s attorney, David Markus, said that ‘GMB’ actually means “Get More Blessings,” which is also the motto of Rozier’s non-profit organization.

“The government’s attempt to imply that it was some sort of criminal organization is absurd,” Markus told The Athletic. “Terry has never been charged with any firearms offense or with intimidating a witness, and nothing in this filing alleges that he did either. It is nothing more than a dog whistle and a desperate attempt by the government to taint Terry because it sees its case is falling apart.”

Markus clarified this because the government previously expressed “concern” about a “potential conflict of interest” in the case, according to Front Office Sports. That is simply because Rozier has been paying Laster’s legal fees, but crucially, the latter is represented by a different attorney.

Why were Terry Rozier and Deniro Laster arrested?

The case goes back to October 23, 2025, when the FBI arrested more than 30 defendants across two separate but related federal indictments. One involved an illegal, mob-linked poker operation, and another centered on an alleged NBA sports betting scheme built on inside information.

Terry Rozier, then with the Miami Heat, was arrested in Orlando alongside Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and former Cleveland Cavaliers assistant Damon Jones. Both Rozier and Billups were placed on immediate leave by the NBA, with commissioner Adam Silver saying he was “deeply disturbed” by the allegations.

Prosecutors allege that during the Charlotte Hornets-New Orleans Pelicans game on March 23, 2023, Rozier tipped off Laster that he planned to leave the game early, citing a foot injury. He played nine and a half minutes before exiting.

Laster allegedly sold that advance information to other bettors, who placed roughly $200,000 in “under” prop bets on Rozier’s stats.

Rozier and Laster were then accused of counting the winnings together at the player’s home about a week later…

The Legal Process So Far

Terry Rozier pleaded not guilty in December 2025 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Rozier was released on a $3 million bond secured by property. Deniro Laster also appeared in court and pleaded not guilty. He was released on a $50,000 bond.

Meanwhile, Rozier’s attorneys quickly moved to dismiss the case. They argued that the government’s fraud theory had been repeatedly rejected in other courts and that the indictment failed to establish an actual agreement to launder money.

In May 2026, prosecutors added two more charges: bribery in sporting contests and honest services wire fraud conspiracy. They alleged that Rozier had agreed to a roughly $100,000 bribe that dipped to about $70,000 (because of extra rebounds) before his early exit. Rozier pleaded not guilty to those charges as well.

Around the same time, co-defendant Marves Fairley, a sports betting influencer, pleaded guilty. He admitted in court to paying “a player to change their game performance,” which prosecutors identified as Rozier. Damon Jones also pleaded guilty earlier in the case.

In June, a judge set a trial date of February 8, 2027, while still weighing Rozier’s motion to dismiss. Meanwhile, Laster’s representation has not issued any public statement on the latest witness-tampering accusation yet.