It might not have been at the same level as pardoning Thanksgiving turkeys, or January 6 US capitol attack participants – but the mayor of Miami-Dade had her own Donald Trump moment on Tuesday in ritually sparing the life of a pig named Six Seven.

Daniella Levine Cava performed the seasonal stunt in the Cuban-themed Latin Cafe 2000 in the heart of Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood, where the immigrant population has also been affected by Trump’s aggressive new policies targeting them.

“This pig is innocent. She is worthy of this pardon. She has committed zero crimes,” Levine Cava said of the pig in a speech with inescapable allusions to the extraordinary and sizable number of pardons issued by Trump since his second US presidency began in January.

“Unless you count eating six or seven apples per day,” Levine Cava continued. “May this pig enjoy a long and happy life away from worry.”

The event, either celebrating or rejecting the region’s Hispanic tradition of feasting on pork during the holidays, was founded to replicate the annual turkey pardoning at the White House.

The pig, donated by a Coral Gables firefighter, was named for the current slang trend of young people shouting “six-seven” – deriving from a rap song lyric – for no discernible reason. The trend became so ubiquitous that Dictionary.com recently made “six-seven” its 2025 word of the year.

Six Seven the pig is now destined to live out its days at a rural sanctuary “far from charcoal and roasting pans”, according to the event’s official press release.

“The pig pardon has become one of our favorite ways to open the holiday season,” said Eric Castellanos, the owner of Latin Cafe 2000, in a particularly upbeat message.

“It captures the spirit of Miami, joyful, diverse, and rooted in traditions that bring people together. Each year, we are proud to celebrate culture and compassion in a way only Miami can.”

Attenders enjoyed a vegetarian menu of spinach croquetas and cafecito as they celebrated Six Seven’s big moment.

Dec. 9 (UPI) — Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier pleaded not guilty Monday to federal charges in an alleged illegal gambling and sports rigging scheme. He was one of 34 people arrested in October, including former NBA player Damon Jones and Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups.

Rozier, 31, appeared Monday in a Brooklyn federal courtroom on charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to commit wire fraud over a period of 15 months, beginning in December 2022. He was released on $3 million bond after being placed on unpaid administrative leave by the NBA.

This season, the 10-year veteran would have made $26.6 million as part of his four-year $96.3 million contract.

“Your winning streak has ended,” U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Joseph Nocella told reporters. “Violating the law is a losing proposition.”

Rozier’s attorney, who said the arrest has been “professionally devastating” for his client, asked that Rozier’s case reach a quick resolution. He also planned to file a motion to dismiss.

“We still have factual innocence to deal with, but for now, getting an opportunity to litigate a significant legal motion is a good thing,” Rozier’s attorney Jim Trusty said.

“They wanted the misplaced glory of embarrassing a professional athlete with a perp walk,” Trusty added. “That tells you a lot about the motivations in this case.”

Co-defendant Deniro Laster was also in court Monday and pleaded not guilty. He was released on $50,000 bond.

Rozier and Jones are accused of participating in an illegal sports betting scheme that “exploited confidential information about NBA athletes and teams,” spanning 11 states, according to Nocella.

Other co-conspirators have been previously charged for their roles in the alleged scheme, including former Toronto Raptors center Jontay Porter, who has been banned from the NBA.

Nocella said the scheme involved betting on inside, non-public information using connections with players and coaches for information on when players would sit out future games or leave games early due to alleged injuries. They involved players on the Charlotte Hornets, Los Angeles Lakers, Raptors and Blazers.

A second case revealed the alleged use of “wireless cheating technology to run rigged poker games across the United States.” There are 31 defendants in that FBI investigation with more than a dozen from Mafia families.

NEW YORK (AP) — Miami Heat player Terry Rozier is set to appear in a New York court on charges he helped gamblers placing bets on his performance in NBA games.

The 31-year-old point guard will be formally arraigned in Brooklyn federal court late Monday on federal wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy charges. He’ll also join five other co-defendants and their lawyers for a pre-trial hearing later in the day on the case.

Rozier previously appeared before a federal judge in Orlando on Oct. 23, when prosecutors first announced the indictment.

At the time, he was released with conditions. One of his lawyers, Jim Trusty, denied the charges, saying the Ohio native was “not a gambler” and “looks forward to winning this fight.”

Prosecutors say Rozier conspired with friends to help them win bets on his performance in a March 2023 game when he played for the Charlotte Hornets.

They say he informed the bettors that he intended to leave the game against the New Orleans Pelicans early with a supposed injury, allowing gamblers to place wagers earning them tens of thousands of dollars.

Rozier played the first nine minutes and 36 seconds of the game before leaving, citing a foot issue. He did not play again that season.

More than 30 people have been arrested in connection with the sprawling federal takedown of illegal gambling operations linked to professional sports, including several Mafia figures.

Rozier was one of three current or former NBA players ensnared in the investigation.

Portland Trail Blazers coach and NBA Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups was among a number charged with participating in a scheme to fix high-stakes, Mafia-backed illegal poker games.

Former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones has also been charged in that poker scheme, as well as the separate scheme to help gamblers win bets on NBA games that also implicated Rozier.

Billups and Jones pleaded not guilty during their separate arraignments last month. Both Billups and Rozier have been placed on unpaid leave from their team as their court cases play out.

Rozier has earned about $160 million over a 10-year NBA career.

He had been a first round pick for the Boston Celtics in 2015 after starring at the University of Louisville. Charlotte traded him to the Heat last year.

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Follow Philip Marcelo at https://x.com/philmarcelo

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