“WTFFFFFF”- Yasiel Puig thrown in jail for almost 900 bets in span of 90 days, The MLB Wild Horse labeled GUILTY
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Yasiel Puig
Betting is a serious crime that is not forgiven in any sports world. Ex-MLB right fielder Yasiel Puig was caught participating in sports betting, while he rejected the notion in court earlier in the year. His not accepting the crime only resulted in a backlash against the 31-year-old player.
According to the U.S Department of Justice, Yasiel Puig has accepted all his crimes and has been pleading guilty to lying to the authority, resulting in a delay of the case. The documents to the Department of Justice were unsealed on Monday, where it was confirmed that Puig indeed was involved with sports bets, made through an illegal gambling operator.
For his crimes, he’ll likely be sentenced to 5-years in Federal Prison, while paying a fine of at least $55,000. Currently playing as a professional in South Korea, he is charged with making false statements. On Tuesday, Puig is to make an official appearance at U.S District Court.
Yasiel Puig prepares for jail time after lying about illegal sports betting
Yasiel Puig began playing with sports bets in May 2019 through a third party who worked for an illegal gambling center, headed by Wayne Nix. As a former minor-league baseball player, he pleaded guilty in April to running an illegal gambling operation and submitting fraud tax return reports.
Nix’s operation included both active and inactive baseball players. He ran his business for almost two decades, according to Federal prosecutors. Puig dipped his feet $282,900 in Nix’s gambling business by June 2019, after paying off $200,000 of his losses while regaining access to Nix’s website.
He placed 899 additional bets on tennis, football, and basketball games thereafter. It continued till September 2019. As an ex-MLB player, he played with the Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland, and the Los Angeles Dodgers. After his 7-year of MLB career, he signed up for South Korea’s Kiwoom Heroes at a $1 million contract for a year.
Puig acknowledged that he lied to the government about the betting issue. IRS Criminal Investigation L. A Field Office Special Agent in Charge of Tyler Hatcher, commented in the press release, “When given the opportunity to be truthful about his involvement with Nix’s gambling businesses, Mr. Puig chose not to”.
“Mr. Puig’s lies hindered the legal and procedural tasks of the investigators and prosecutors.” Furthermore, the prosecutors also released on Monday that ex-MLB player Erik Kristian Hiljus plead guilty to subscribing to false tax returns, as an agent of Nix’s operation. He’ll likely face a 6-year sentence in federal prison.
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Kaushani Chatterjee
(2140 Articles Published)