The Internal Revenue Service released an $8.2 million tax lien filed against NBA guard Terry Rozier, according to Broward County courthouse records obtained by ESPN. The release was filed October 29, one day after ESPN reported on the lien and less than a week after Rozier’s arrest on federal gambling charges.
The lien release lists $8,218,211 under “unpaid balance of assessment.” It was recorded with the Broward County Courthouse in Florida on November 20.
Rozier’s attorney, Jim Trusty, initially told ESPN in October that Rozier owed only $9,000 in unpaid taxes. He later revised that amount to $3,000, attributing the lien to an e-filing error.
“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 “That amount has been taken care of and we fully expect the defunct lien to be withdrawn in the near future.”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 of the amount owed or when it was paid. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
An IRS spokesperson said the agency cannot disclose information about individual taxpayers and declined further comment. The IRS has 30 days to file a lien release after a debt has been paid.
The original lien was issued in November 2023 in Broward County, where Rozier purchased property in June 2021. Tom O’Saben, director of tax content and government relations for the National Association of Tax Professionals, said taxpayers are generally notified within hours if an e-file has been accepted.
A failed e-filing attempt and unpaid tax bill would have generated multiple notifications to Rozier or his tax representatives, O’Saben noted.
Rozier faces separate federal charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering related to an alleged gambling scandal. He is accused of providing nonpublic information about his plans to leave a game in March 2023 to a friend who allegedly sold it to bettors.
Rozier is scheduled for arraignment in federal court December 8 in Brooklyn. Trusty has said his client is not guilty.