Former MLB Star Yasiel Puig Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Amid Illegal Sports Betting Conviction

Former Major League Baseball (MLB) star Yasiel Puig, facing 15 years’ imprisonment after being convicted of obstructing justice and lying to federal officials investigating an illegal sports betting ring, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Puig’s petition was filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida July 2.

According to court filings and reporting he has at least $1 million of debt.

Chapter 11 Filing

Puig earned roughly USD $52 million in salary during his professional baseball career, according to Spotrac.

Puig was with the Los Angeles Dodgers for six of his seven years in MLB, a career that began in 2013. He also played for the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians in 2019.

Federal prosecutors alleged Puig repeatedly lied to investigators in 2022 when questioned about his relationship with bookmakers connected to an illegal sports betting ring in 2019.

Illegal Betting Allegations

The government also charged Puig with making false statements during his U.S. naturalization process. Prosecutors said the Cuban-born outfielder falsely stated on 2019 immigration paperwork that he had never participated in illegal gambling or received income from illegal gambling.

Puig initially agreed in August 2022 to plead guilty to one count of making false statements to federal investigators under an agreement that would have resolved the case. He later withdrew from the plea deal, saying he wanted to clear his name. Federal prosecutors subsequently secured an indictment in January 2023.

Trial Evidence Detailed

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, evidence presented during Puig’s 13-day trial in February showed he began placing bets through an illegal gambling operation run by Wayne Nix in May 2019. Prosecutors said Puig wagered through a third party and had accumulated $282,900 in gambling losses by the following month.

Prosecutors said Puig later paid $200,000 toward that debt before regaining access to Nix’s betting websites. Between July 4 and Sept. 29, 2019, they alleged Puig placed 899 additional wagers on tennis, football and basketball games – not baseball – including some before and after MLB games at ballparks. During that period, prosecutors said, he accumulated nearly $1 million in additional unpaid gambling debt.

From MLB To Canada

Over his career, Puig hit .277, with 132 HRs, 415 RBIs, with an .823 OPS over 861 games. He later signed with professional teams in Mexico, South Korea, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic.

Puig, 35, is now playing in the Canadian Baseball League, for the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he is hitting .391 in 20 games, with eight home runs, and 20 RBIs.

Puig was found guilty of the charges in February. His sentencing was originally scheduled for May 26 but that got pushed back after Puig’s lawyers filed a motion for acquittal.

A sentencing memorandum filed in a California court in May showed that federal authorities are looking for an 18-month prison sentence for Puig, plus three years’ probation and a $55,000 fine, per the New York Post.