IRS releases $8.2 million tax lien against Terry Rozier

The Internal Revenue Service has released the $8.2 million tax lien that was filed against NBA veteran Terry Rozier, according to Broward County clerk records obtained by ESPN.

The lien release was recorded on Oct. 29, one day after ESPN first reported on the filing and less than a week after Rozier was arrested on federal charges tied to an alleged gambling scheme.

Prosecutors have accused Rozier of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering for allegedly providing nonpublic injury information to a friend who then sold it to bettors.

Rozier’s attorney, Jim Trusty, initially told ESPN the Heat guard owed only $9,000 in unpaid taxes before later revising the figure to $3,000, claiming the original lien stemmed from an e-filing error.

The official release, filed Nov. 20, lists the unpaid balance as $8,218,211.

“Once the accountant clarified the situation with the IRS, Terry was found to owe only $3,000 in unpaid taxes for 2021,” Trusty told ESPN in October. “That amount has been taken care of and we fully expect the defunct lien to be withdrawn in the near future.”

Trusty did not provide documentation showing the amount owed or when it was paid, and did not respond to a follow-up request for comment on Monday.

IRS spokespersons declined comment, citing taxpayer confidentiality laws. Generally, the agency has 30 days to file a lien release once a debt is resolved.

The original lien was issued in November 2023 in Broward County, where Rozier purchased property in 2021. According to Tom O’Saben of the National Association of Tax Professionals, failed electronic filings typically trigger rapid notifications, meaning Rozier or his representatives would have likely been alerted long before the lien appeared.

Rozier is scheduled to be arraigned Dec. 8 in federal court in Brooklyn. Trusty has said his client is not guilty.