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Ex-MLB player Yasiel Puig pleads guilty to a felony charge in gambling case

Yasiel Puig, a former MLB player, lied to law enforcement officials about placing bets with an illegal gambling operation

The ex-Major League Baseball player has agreed to plead guilty to lying to law enforcement officials about placing sporting bets with an illegal gambling operation, a crime that carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

Yasiel Puig, 31, who currently plays with the South Korean Baseball League’s Kiwoom Heroes, had agreed to pay a $50,000 fine and to appear in United States District Court on November 15.  

Yasiel Puig pleads guilty to lying to federal agents

In a plea agreement made in August, Puig accepted that in 2019 he collected more than $280,000 in losses after gambling on football, tennis, and basketball games. He placed those bets with a third party who was a part of an illegal gambling operation run by Wayne Nix—Nix, himself, was a league baseball player.

Over the months, Puig placed at least 900 bets through thirty parties that worked for Nix and a few betting sites.

Puig has acknowledged that he lied to law enforcement officials who were investigating the operation in January.

Wayne Nix pleaded guilty in April to the illegal gambling business that worked around placing sports bets and filing a false tax return.

According to prosecutors, Nix ran this operation for two decades and had current and former athletes as clients.

The officials announced on Nov 13, Monday, that Erik Kristian Hiljus, 49, has also agreed to plead guilty to two counts of false tax returns. They also said the former MLB player was also Nix’s agent.

man holding a baseball

About Yasiel Puig

Yasiel Puig appeared in seven major league seasons, the first six being with the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he got an All-Star selection in 2014.

In 2018, he joined the Cincinnati Reds and was soon traded to Cleveland Indians in 2019. After that, he became a free agent and played in the Mexican League. Last year, Puig signed a one-year contract worth $1 million with Kiwoom Heroes.

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