No More Bond: Deniro Laster Ordered Into Custody in Terry Rozier NBA Gambling Case

A federal judge revoked the bond of Deniro Laster, a co-defendant in the NBA gambling case involving former Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, after prosecutors said he violated release conditions. For PSPs and compliance teams, the point is simple: this case is now moving with custody pressure, alleged witness contact issues, and a judge who was not in the mood for creative parsing of a rat emoji.

1. US District Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall ruled on Tuesday, August 11, that Laster was unlikely to comply with the conditions of his bond and ordered him remanded into custody. After the ruling, US Marshals took him into custody.
2. Prosecutors said Laster tried to intimidate a potential witness by posting rat emojis on Instagram and also contacted co-defendants and potential witnesses despite a court-ordered no-contact restriction. Assistant US Attorney David Berman described the alleged conduct as “utterly egregious.”
3. The bond dispute turned into its own courtroom moment when Laster’s attorney, Matthew Evan Corcoran, called the Instagram post a “rat cartoon.” DeArcy Hall rejected that framing and, according to the proceedings, said: “Rat cartoon? Come on.” Corcoran later argued that “sometimes a rat emoji is just a rat emoji,” which did not help the defense much.
4. The court also heard that Laster had contacted an individual despite the no-contact order. Corcoran argued the person was not specifically named on a no-contact list, but the court noted that when such an order is in place, contact is generally permitted only through attorneys.
5. The underlying case alleges that Rozier gave Laster advance information about his planned early exit from a March 2023 game while Rozier was playing for the Charlotte Hornets. Prosecutors say Laster passed that information to sports bettors, who wagered on Rozier’s statistical performance, and that Rozier and Laster agreed to a payment of roughly $70,000.

Rozier was present in court during Tuesday’s hearing, where Judge DeArcy Hall also denied his request to move the case from New York to Florida. The judge separately addressed public statements and said prosecutors do not allege Rozier is a gang member, after the defense raised concerns that filings could create that impression.