Yasiel Puig will plead guilty to a federal charge for lying to law enforcement officials about sports bets he made with an illegal gambling operator. The former MLB star faces up to five years in prison. He has also agreed to pay a fine of at least $55,000.
The plea deal states that Puig began placing bets on sporting events in May 2019. He used an illegal gambling operation run by Wayne Nix, a former minor-league baseball player.
In June 2019, Puig was down $282,900 to Nix's gambling business. From July 4, 2019, to Sept. 29, 2019, Puig placed 899 bets on tennis, football, and basketball games. The Department of Justice did not, however, reference any bets being placed on baseball.
“My client Yasiel Puig has not been indicted for gambling or any purported involvement with any gambling ring. The only conduct at issue is what he said (or did not say) in a Zoom interview with government agents on January 27, 2022,” Puig’s attorney, Keri Axel, said in a statement. “He takes responsibility for what happened that day, but the government’s charging documents don’t tell the whole story. Since the government came forward last June and said they were going to indict him, Mr. Puig has consistently tried to make things right."
Puig hasn't played in the MLB since 2019 when he was with Cincinnati and Cleveland. Nowadays, he plays professionally in South Korea for the Kiwoom Heroes.
The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Puig back in 2013. Across seven MLB seasons, he batted .277 with 132 home runs and 415 RBIs.
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