Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier reportedly faced an $8 million tax lien from the IRS prior to being arrested by the FBI last week, according to county clerk records obtained by ESPN.
The IRS reportedly filed the $8,218,211 federal income tax lien in Broward County, Florida, in November 2023, which would’ve been filed after past due notices were sent to Rozier, 31, according to Florida tax attorney Steven N. Klitzner.
“It shouldn’t be a surprise to them,” he said.
Rozier was among six defendants indicted in the first case, dubbed “Operation Nothing But Bet,” accusing them of an insider sports betting scheme that “exploited confidential information,” which U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. called “one of the most brazen sports corruption schemes since only sports betting became widely legalized in the United States.” The guard was arrested at a hotel in Orlando, Florida, last Thursday (October 23) morning.
Sportsbooks in multiple states reportedly flagged suspicious betting interest on Rozier’s statistics prior to the March 23, 2023, game between the Charlotte Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans after a surge of bets were placed on the under on Rozier’s points, rebounds and assists, causing the sportsbooks to halt the offerings, ESPN‘s Shams Charania reported earlier in the day. The guard, who played for the Hornets at the time, left the game after just 10 minutes with what was reported to be a foot injury.
Rozier is in the final season of a four-year, $96.3 million deal that he reached with the Hornets in August 2021 prior to being traded to the Heat in January 2024.
Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, 49, and former NBA player Damon Jones, 49, were among 31 defendants indicted in the second case, dubbed “Operation Royal Flush,” in which suspects allegedly used high-tech cheating gadgets to steal millions from games backed by four of the “Five Families” long suspected to have ruled organized crime within the New York area.
“Your winning streak has ended,” Nocella said of the “Royal Flush” case during Thursday’s press conference. “Your luck has run out. Violating the law is a losing proposition, and you can bet on that.”
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