Former MLB player Yasiel Puig found guilty of obstruction, lying to federal investigators

Former Major League Baseball outfielder Yasiel Puig was recovered blameworthy by a assemblage successful a national gambling case, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Friday.

The verdict followed a weekslong proceedings that included grounds from MLB officials and Donny Kadokawa, a Hawaii shot manager tied to Puig and the amerciable gambling operation.

Puig played for 3 large league teams, spending the bulk of his vocation with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He has not appeared successful an MLB crippled since 2019. Puig, 35, present faces up to 20 years successful national prison. 

His sentencing is scheduled for May 26.

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Los Angeles Dodgers close fielder Yasiel Puig reacts aft the 3rd inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks during Game 3 of the 2017 NLDS playoff shot bid astatine Chase Field successful Phoenix, Ariz., Oct. 9, 2017. (Mark J. Rebilas/USA Today Sports)

Puig’s attorney, Keri Curtis Axel, argued the authorities failed to beryllium cardinal elements of its lawsuit and that she plans to rise post-trial motions. 

"We look guardant to clearing Yasiel’s name," Axel said.

Puig initially pleaded blameworthy to a felony complaint of lying to national agents investigating an amerciable gambling operation. 

He acknowledged successful an August 2022 plea statement that helium wracked up much than $280,000 successful losses implicit a fewer months successful 2019 portion wagering connected tennis, shot and hoops games done a 3rd enactment who worked for an amerciable gambling cognition tally by Wayne Nix, a erstwhile insignificant league shot player.

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Nix pleaded blameworthy successful 2022 to conspiracy to run an amerciable gambling concern and subscribing to a mendacious taxation return. Authorities said Puig placed astatine slightest 900 bets done Nix-controlled betting websites and done a antheral who worked for Nix.

Prosecutors said that, during a January 2022 interrogation with national investigators, Puig denied knowing astir the quality of his bets, who helium was betting with and the circumstances of paying his gambling debts.

But helium changed his tune months later, announcing that helium was switching his plea to not blameworthy due to the fact that of "significant caller evidence," according to a connection from his attorneys successful Los Angeles. 

"I privation to wide my name," Puig said successful the statement. "I ne'er should person agreed to plead blameworthy to a transgression I did not commit."

Yasiel Puig of Tiburones de La Guaira of Venezuela reacts aft leaving a crippled owed to wounded successful the 4th inning during a crippled against the Dominican Republic astatine loanDepot parkland arsenic portion of Series del Caribe 2024 Feb. 9, 2024, successful Miami, Fla. (Luis Gutierrez/by Norte Photo/Getty Images)

The authorities argued helium intentionally misled national investigators. They played successful tribunal audio clips of Puig speaking English and brought adept witnesses to attest connected Puig’s cognitive abilities, The New York Times reported.

His attorneys said Puig, who has a third-grade education, had untreated intelligence wellness issues and did not person his ain interpreter oregon transgression ineligible counsel with him during the interrogation with national investigators erstwhile helium allegedly lied.

Yasiel Puig of Tiburones de la Guaira of Venezuela reacts successful the 5th inning of a crippled against the Dominican Republic astatine loanDepot Park arsenic portion of the Serie del Caribe 2024 Feb. 1, 2024, successful Miami, Fla. (Luis Gutierrez/Norte Photo/Getty Images)

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Puig made his MLB debut with the Dodgers successful 2013 and finished his large league vocation with 132 location runs and 415 RBIs. He was selected to the MLB All-Star squad successful 2014. Last year, helium played for the Kiwoom Heroes, a nonrecreational shot squad based successful Seoul.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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