Ex-MLB player Yasiel Puig found guilty of obstruction and lying to federal officials
LOS ANGELES — A jury has found former major league outfielder Yasiel Puig guilty of obstruction of justice and lying to federal officials investigating an illegal gambling operation, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Friday.
The verdict came after a multiweek trial that featured testimony from Major League Baseball officials and Donny Kadokawa, a Hawaii baseball coach who Puig placed bets through. Puig now faces up to 20 years in federal prison and is scheduled to be sentenced May 26.
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Puig, 35, initially pled guilty to a felony charge of lying to federal agents investigating an illegal gambling operation. He acknowledged in an August 2022 plea agreement that he wracked up more than $280,000 in losses over a few months in 2019 while wagering on tennis, football and basketball games through a third party who worked for an illegal gambling operation run by Wayne Nix, a former minor league baseball player.
But he changed his tune months later, announcing that he was switching his plea to not guilty because of “significant new evidence,” according to a statement from his attorneys in Los Angeles.
FULL STORY: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ex-mlb-player-yasiel-puig-found-guilty-obstruction-lying-federal-offic-rcna257878
FROM THE LINK: Puig has a third-grade education, had untreated mental-health issues, and did not have his own interpreter or criminal legal counsel with him during the interview with federal investigators where he purportedly lied, said his attorney. Also that the government failed to prove key elements of its case.
Puig batted .277 with 132 home runs and 415 RBIs while appearing in seven major league seasons. He played for the Dodgers for six years. He also played for the Cincinnati Reds and the Cleveland Indians in 2019 before becoming a free agent. He earned an All-Star selection in 2014.
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Gambling! So destructive. I have a friend -- good, smart guy -- get caught up in it. Said the thing that got him to finally quit was tasting a gun in his mouth.
