The game that Mr. Rozier was bribed to leave, prosecutors say, took place on March 23, 2023, when he was playing for the Charlotte Hornets. In exchange for the bribe, Mr. Rozier agreed to leave the game against the New Orleans Pelicans, saying he had a foot injury. He told a childhood friend, Deniro Laster, of his plans.
Mr. Laster, prosecutors said, informed a number of sports bettors about Mr. Rozier’s plan. They wagered more than $200,000 on Mr. Rozier’s underperformance — including totals for his points, assists and 3-pointers — and made tens of thousands in profits, prosecutors said.
The indictment does not say who directly paid Mr. Rozier the bribe. But on Thursday, Marves Fairley, a gambling influencer charged in the scheme, pleaded guilty and said in court that he paid a player “to change their game performance.” That player was Mr. Rozier, David Berman, a federal prosecutor, told the judge.
Not all the bets hit. Because Mr. Rozier grabbed more rebounds than the betting lines set, he agreed to a cut in the bribe to $70,000, prosecutors said. After the game, Mr. Laster collected the illicit betting proceeds from Mr. Fairley and drove from Philadelphia to Charlotte, N.C., where Mr. Rozier and Mr. Laster counted the cash.
The new charges against Mr. Rozier are bribery in sporting contest and honest services wire fraud conspiracy, adding to criminal counts of wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy. Mr. Laster and Shane Hennen, a poker player and sports bettor, were also charged with the new bribery-related counts.
