Former LA Dodgers star Yasiel Puig has been found guilty of obstructing justice and lying to federal officers regarding an investigation into an illegal gambling operation.
According to reports from TMZ, a federal jury in Los Angeles reached the verdict following a 13-day trial regarding the illegal gambling business.
The charges stem from an investigation into a betting ring run by Wayne Nix, a former minor league pitcher, which Puig reportedly used to place numerous bets.
Federal prosecutors alleged that the 35-year-old athlete provided false statements during an interview back in 2022 and later withdrew from a previous plea agreement.
The original report claimed Puig states: ‘I should never have agreed to plead guilty to a crime I did not commit’ after backing out of the deal.
Evidence presented during the trial indicated that Puig began placing illegal bets in May 2019 before eventually racking up a significant six-figure gambling loss.
Former LA Dodgers star Yasiel Puig has been found guilty of obstructing justice and lying to federal officers regarding an investigation into an illegal gambling operation
Since his last MLB appearance in 2019, Puig has played internationally in the Mexican League and the KBO League in Korea to continue his professional career
Internal records showed that by June 2019, Puig owed the Nix operation a total of $282,900, which he reportedly paid off before receiving direct site access.
The records allege that from July 4th 2019 through until September 29th 2019, Puig placed 899 bets on various sporting events, including tennis, football and basketball.
Puig now faces a maximum statutory sentence of 10 years in federal prison for obstruction of justice and five years for the false statement charges filed.
The Cuban-born outfielder remains free on his own personal recognizance as he awaits his formal sentencing hearing, which is currently scheduled for May 26.
Puig’s MLB career spanned seven seasons, where he maintained a .277 batting average with 132 home runs and 415 RBIs across 861 total regular season games played.
During his 2013 debut season with the Dodgers, he finished second in National League Rookie of the Year voting after hitting .319 with 19 homers in 104 games.
The outfielder earned an All-Star selection in 2014, a year where he posted a .296 average and a .382 on-base percentage while leading the league in triples.
Since his last MLB appearance in 2019, Puig has played internationally in the Mexican League and the KBO League in Korea to continue his professional career.
