Federal prosecutors have accused a co-defendant in the gambling case of NBA free agent Terry Rozier of trying to intimidate witnesses and obstruct justice and have asked a judge to remand the defendant to custody.
According to a new filing in the Eastern District of New York and obtained by USA TODAY Sports, Rozier's lawyer, David Markus, said that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York requested that co-defendant Deniro Laster be arrested, which he says is the equivalent of issuing a “dog whistle.”
"Deniro Laster has repeatedly and flagrantly violated the conditions of his release by attempting to obstruct justice and tamper with witnesses. For these reasons, Deniro Laster is unlikely to abide by any future release conditions,"
the filing said.
Rozier is not accused of anything new that would warrant criminal charges in the filing, but prosecutors said that Laster and Rozier are part of a group called GMB, who are known to possess weapons, and said that Laster posted the image of a rat on social media to intimidate witnesses who could possibly assist the federal government with their case. Rozier still faces wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, sports bribery, and honest services wire fraud conspiracy charges. Laster and Rozier pleaded not guilty to all charges.
“Numerous witnesses have indicated, and social media records corroborate, that Deniro Laster, Rozier and certain of their childhood friends belong to a crew they call GMB. Members of GMB, including Deniro Laster and Rozier, have publicly held themselves out as having access to guns, including by posting photographs on social media depicting Laster, Rozier, and other members of GMB posing with guns prior to the government bringing charges in this case," the filing says.
Markus said GMB actually stands for Get More Blessings, which is Rozier's 12 Blessings non-profit organization's motto.
"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 said. "In this case, GMB stands for Government’s Massive Blunder.”
The sports bribery and honest services wire fraud conspiracy charge stems from prosecutors' allegation that Rozier schemed to leave early during a March 23, 2023, game against the New Orleans Pelicans due to a foot injury. Rozier played less than 10 minutes in the game and did not return, finishing with five points and two assists. The accusation is that Rozier told Laster he would leave the game early, and that information was sold to others, who made "under" bets on Rozier's statistical performance. Rozier accepted a $100,000 bribe for the scheme, prosecutors said.
In a filing last month, Rozier asked that two of the four charges brought against him be dismissed and also filed a motion to have the remaining charges dismissed in December.
A trial date for Rozier is set for Feb. 8.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Feds allege witness tampering in Terry Rozier betting case
