By Michele Evans | NY Weekly Record
August 12, 2026
Crime & Courts
BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Sometimes a rat emoji is just a rat emoji.
And sometimes, according to a federal judge in Brooklyn, it can help land you back behind bars.
De’Niro Laster, a co-defendant of former NBA player Terry Rozier in a sprawling federal sports-betting case, was taken into custody Tuesday after U.S. District Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall revoked his bond during a hearing that featured allegations of witness tampering, burner phones, an Instagram rat emoji — and one spectacularly unsuccessful attempt to explain courtroom procedure to the judge.
Laster, 31, is accused by federal prosecutors of violating the conditions of his release by contacting co-defendants and co-conspirators and attempting to interfere with witnesses through other people and burner phones.
Then there was the rat. 🐀
According to prosecutors, Laster posted a rat emoji on Instagram. His attorney, M. Evan Corcoran, attempted to minimize its significance during Tuesday’s hearing by referring to it as a “rat cartoon.”
DeArcy Hall was having none of it.
“Oh, come on!” the judge responded, according to the New York Daily News. “You think this is my first rodeo?”
That probably should have been the first clue that the morning was not going to end well for the defense.
When the Judge Says Stop, Stop
Things escalated when Corcoran attempted to interrupt DeArcy Hall while she was speaking.
“Stop. Stop. Do you not hear ‘stop’ coming out of my mouth?” the judge told him.
Then came a courtroom etiquette lesson unlikely to require much interpretation.
“You don’t know me. You’re getting to know me now. When my mouth is speaking, yours will not.”
DeArcy Hall warned that if Corcoran continued talking over her, “the way in which I tell you to stop will change.”
It did not get better from there.
Corcoran questioned the credibility of the witnesses Laster is accused of tampering with and requested an evidentiary hearing. At another point, he began explaining to DeArcy Hall what “often” happens in cases involving alleged violations of pretrial release.
The judge immediately noticed.
“You’re telling me what happens often in these cases?” she responded. “I love being mansplained to!”
For anyone keeping score at home, the defense had now progressed from rat cartoon to interrupting a federal judge to mansplaining federal criminal procedure to said federal judge.
There was, however, still one more rat argument to make.
Sometimes a Rat Is… Not Just a Rat
“Sometimes a rat emoji is just a rat emoji,” Corcoran argued.
DeArcy Hall wasn’t persuaded.
“Am I to put my common sense aside?” she asked, questioning whether she was expected to treat the emoji as innocuous.
“Is that your argument? Because if it is, it’s a bad one.”
Context mattered.
Prosecutors weren’t asking the court to revoke Laster’s release based solely on one tiny digital rodent.
They alleged Laster had contacted multiple people connected to the case despite restrictions on his communications. Prosecutors also alleged that in December he contacted a co-defendant and suggested everyone would be better positioned to fight the charges if they did not cooperate with federal authorities.
Corcoran argued that the person wasn’t included on a government no-contact list.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Berman pointed out a rather significant problem with that argument: the person was a co-defendant named in Laster’s indictment.
DeArcy Hall found Laster knew he wasn’t supposed to contact a co-defendant.
She also cited other cases in which calling a witness a rat resulted in obstruction-of-justice sentencing enhancements.
Suddenly, the little 🐀 wasn’t looking quite so innocent.
No Negotiations
The defense proposed additional conditions that could allow Laster to remain free.
That avenue lasted approximately as long as the rat-cartoon argument.
“I don’t negotiate with defendants. I don’t,” DeArcy Hall said.
She revoked Laster’s bond, and he left Brooklyn Federal Court in custody.
Corcoran, whose legal fees are being paid by Rozier according to court filings cited by the Daily News, declined to comment afterward.
The Serious Case Behind a Very Colorful Hearing
The courtroom exchanges may have provided plenty of color, but the underlying prosecution is serious.
Federal prosecutors accuse Laster, Rozier and others of participating in a conspiracy involving inside information used to place bets on NBA games.
Among the allegations is a March 23, 2023 Charlotte Hornets game. Prosecutors allege Rozier told Laster that he planned to leave the game early because of what was presented as an injury, providing information that could be exploited for betting purposes.
Prosecutors have also described Laster, Rozier and other childhood friends as belonging to a group called “GMB.”
Rozier’s attorney, David Markus, disputes the government’s characterization and has said GMB refers to the basketball player’s charitable foundation.
Berman emphasized Tuesday that prosecutors are not alleging Rozier belongs to a gang — a distinction DeArcy Hall made a point of repeating for reporters in the courtroom.
“This court made it expressly clear that there are no allegations that Mr. Rozier is in a gang,” she said.
The case will continue.
Laster, however, will continue it from custody.
And somewhere in the vast library of arguments that have failed spectacularly in federal court, “sometimes a rat emoji is just a rat emoji” has earned itself a place.
Because on Tuesday in Brooklyn, the rat was apparently not just a rat. 🐀⚖️
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