The long-anticipated trial of former Major League Baseball outfielder Yasiel Puig kicked off in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday.
Once one of the sport’s most electrifying players, Puig now confronts serious criminal charges that could carry a combined sentence of up to 20 years in prison if a jury finds him guilty.
At issue is Puig‘s alleged role in an illegal sports betting operation and whether he misled federal investigators about his involvement.
Prosecutors contend that the 35-year-old, whose career included six seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers before brief stops in Cincinnati and Cleveland, placed hundreds of wagers on non-baseball sporting events and then lied about it in interviews with federal authorities.
Puig‘s legal troubles began with an investigation launched in 2017 into an illegal gambling ring operated by former minor leaguer Wayne Nix, whose business drew scrutiny for its alleged moneylaundering and bookmaking activities.
According to prosecutors, between May and September 2019, Puig placed a total of 899 bets on football, basketball, and tennis events through that operation, amassing substantial losses in the process.
Federal agents say those losses prompted multiple conversations with prosecutors and investigators. The most consequential occurred in January 2022, when Puig was interviewed as part of the larger probe.
Prosecutors allege that during that interview, Puig made false statements about his awareness of and involvement in the illegal gambling business.
“I want to clear my name,” Puig said in a statement at the time. “I never should have agreed to plead guilty to a crime I did not commit.”
Puig initially struck a plea agreement with federal prosecutors in August 2022: in exchange for pleading guilty to making false statements, he agreed to pay a fine of at least $55,000 and could have been eligible for probation.
But weeks later, Puig withdrew from that agreement, asserting his innocence and citing what his attorneys described as “significant new evidence.”
His attorneys stressed that Puig was at a disadvantage during that 2022 interview, claiming he was “rushed, unprepared, without criminal counsel” and without a translator present, a circumstance Puig‘s agent said compounded his difficulty navigating the questions from authorities.
Legal battle enters critical stage
Now facing a jury, Puig is charged with one count of obstruction of justice, punishable by up to 10 years in federal prison, along with two counts of making false statements to federal officials, each of which carries up to five years behind bars if convicted.
Legal analysts watching the proceedings underscore the unusual nature of the case, which centers on allegations that Puig not only placed hundreds of bets but also misled investigators about his actions and knowledge.
“This case is strange in the sense that Puig doesn’t deny he was a big gambler,” legal analyst Royal Oakes told NBC Los Angeles, noting the complexity of separating voluntary betting behavior from the issue of lying to authorities.
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