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. 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. Rozier and Laster have pleaded not guilty to the charges.<\/p>\n
Rozier has not been implicated in the latest filing from prosecutors, but his attorney, David Markus, has accused lawyers for the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office for the Eastern District of New York of issuing a \u201cdog whistle\u201d with their latest request.<\/p>\n
The prosecutors told the federal judge that Laster and Rozier are part of a group called GMB that has a reputation for owning guns, they wrote in a new legal filing. They said that Laster tried to intimidate potential witnesses through Instagram posts and that he allegedly had other communications that violated his bond terms. Laster posted a rat emoji on Instagram, the prosecutors said, as a way to intimidate possible witnesses and prevent them from helping with the government\u2019s investigation.<\/p>\n
Laster also reached out to another defendant at the end of last year after they were indicted, according to the filing, and told them they and \u201ctheir co-defendants would avoid conviction if they stayed silent, i.e., refrained from cooperating with law enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n
Markus, however, said that the government\u2019s filing was an overreach. He said that GMB stands for \u201cGet More Blessings\u201d \u2014 a name dating back to Rozier\u2019s high school basketball team and also serves as the motto for Rozier\u2019s nonprofit, which raises money to help underprivileged children.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe government\u2019s attempt to imply that it was some sort of criminal organization is absurd,\u201d Markus told The Athletic. \u201cTerry 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for the Eastern District of New York declined to comment on this story.<\/p>\n