Former Los Angeles Dodgers star Yasiel Puig pleaded guilty to lying to federal agents about an illegal gambling operation, the Department of Justice said on Monday night.
Puig pleaded guilty to one count of making false statements to federal authorities, which carries a sentence of up to five years in prison. He also agreed to pay a fine of at least $55,000.
The 31-year-old, who spent seven seasons with the Dodgers and parts of one season in both Cincinnati and Cleveland, is currently playing in the Korean Baseball Organization. He is due in court next on Tuesday.
Puig, the DOJ said, started placing bets on sporting events through a third party in May 2019. That third party allegedly worked for an illegal gambling business run by Wayne Joseph Nix. A month later, officials said, he owed Nix's company $282,900 in gambling losses.
After paying off $200,000 of his debt through cashiers checks, officials said Puig then placed 899 additional bets on tennis, football and basketball games over the next several months. It’s unclear if he ever placed bets on MLB games.
Puig was interviewed by federal investigators earlier this year about his gambling with Nix’s company, but officials said he “lied several times” — claiming he only knew the third party through baseball and never discussed gambling, despite texts to the contrary. Puig also later sent a WhatsApp audio message to someone at Nix’s company admitting to lying to federal agents.
Nix has since pleaded guilty to a count of...
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