Yasiel Puig Sports activities Betting Probe Nets Legal Plea for Mendacity – Sportico.com

Former MLB all-star outfielder Yasiel Puig has agreed to plead responsible to a felony cost for mendacity to federal brokers as a part of their investigation into an unlawful sports activities playing and money-laundering scheme. Puig, who wager on no less than 899 sporting occasions in 2019, faces a most sentence of 5 years in jail.

The Justice Division revealed the plea settlement on Monday as courtroom paperwork have been unsealed. Sportico has obtained the charging doc issued towards Puig on Aug. 29, 2022, in California. As advised by Appearing U.S. Legal professional Stephanie Christensen, Puig partook in an unlawful bookmaking enterprise in Los Angeles run by retired minor leaguer Wayne Nix, who pitched within the Oakland A’s group from 1995 to 2001. Nix, the charging doc says, used brokers to position and settle for bets and in addition utilized offshore Web sports activities playing web sites. 

An individual solely recognized as “Agent 1” labored for Nix and met Puig at a youth baseball camp in 2019. Inside 5 months, Puig is accused of “putting bets on sporting occasions,” with the help of an individual recognized solely as “Particular person B,” who’s recognized as a baseball coach. 

Puig, who performed for the Cincinnati Reds for the primary few months of the 2019 season, apparently wasn’t a stellar bettor; by June 2019 he owed Nix $282,000 for losses. Agent 1 and Particular person B advised Puig to pay up both by examine or wire switch. Puig then withdrew $200,000 from Financial institution of America and bought two cashiers’ checks for $100,000. He didn’t instantly ship the checks on account of disputing how a lot he owed—a dispute that led Nix to barring Puig from utilizing his betting web site account. Ultimately Puig despatched the cashiers’ checks through UPS.

Undeterred by preliminary losses, Puig positioned 899 bets on sporting occasions by way of Nix’s playing enterprise between July 4, 2019, and Sept. 29, 2019. On July 31 that very same yr, Puig was traded by the Reds to the Cleveland Indians in a three-team deal that concerned the San Diego Padres. 

Puig later grew to become a goal of curiosity to federal investigators. On Jan. 27, 2022, Puig and his legal professional have been interviewed by investigators. “At first of the interview,” the charging doc says, “a particular agent from [the Department of Homeland Security] admonished defendant Puig that mendacity to federal legislation enforcement brokers is against the law, and Puig acknowledged that he understood.”

Puig nonetheless lied; he mentioned he had by no means mentioned sports betting with Agent 1, however phone information, texts and proof of 899 bets contradicted his assertion. Puig additionally mentioned he had positioned a wager on-line with an unknown particular person on an unknown web site, leading to a $200,000 loss, however this was unfaithful: Puig had positioned that get by way of Agent 1. Puig additionally lied about who gave him directions on sending cashiers’ checks to repay his debt. In response to prosecutors, Puig “admitted to mendacity” in a March 22 audio message despatched to Particular person B through WhatsApp.

The Justice Division says that Puig positioned bets on tennis, soccer and basketball video games. Underneath MLB guidelines, any participant or coach who bets on “any baseball recreation” or who makes use of an “unlawful guide maker” is topic to a one-year suspension. If a participant or coach bets on a recreation during which they’ve an obligation to carry out, they face a lifetime ban. Puig, 31, hasn’t performed in MLB since 2019; he performed within the Mexican League in 2021 and is at present enjoying in South Korea’s KBO League. 

Though the U.S. Supreme Court docket in 2018 held the federal ban on sports activities betting was unconstitutional, particular person state legal guidelines range broadly on whether or not and underneath which circumstances sports activities betting is authorized. The unlawful “black market” for sports activities betting by way of offshore web sites and services has lengthy posed a problem for the Justice Division, Homeland Safety and the FBI. 

Nix, in the meantime, pleaded responsible on April 11, 2022, to a conspiracy cost and submitting a false tax return. His sentencing is scheduled on March 8, 2023. Former Tigers and A’s pitcher Erik Hiljus, who pitched within the massive leagues from 1998 to 2002 and is described by prosecutors as “an agent for Nix’s unlawful playing enterprise,” has agreed to plead responsible to 2 counts of subscribing to false tax returns.

Puig has a courtroom listening to scheduled in California on Tuesday.