Ex-MLB Star Yasiel Puig Found Guilty on Federal Charges in Sports Gambling Case, Faces Up to 15 Years in Prison

NEED TO KNOW

• Yasiel Puig, a former Los Angeles Dodgers player, has been convicted on federal charges in a sports gambling case
• On Feb. 6, Puig was found guilty of one count of obstruction of justice and one count of making false statements
• Puig’s sentencing is scheduled for May 26, and the ex-MLB star faces up to 15 years in prison

Former MLB player Yasiel Puig has been convicted on charges in a sports gambling case.

On Friday, Feb. 6, Puig, 35, was found guilty of one count of obstruction of justice and one count of making false statements to federal law enforcement officials, according to a media release from the United State’s Attorney’s Office.

According to evidence presented during the 13-day trial, the former Los Angeles Dodgers player began placing bets on sporting events through an illegal gambling business in May 2019. The athlete owed over $200,000 in gambling losses at one point in 2019, and he placed 899 bets on tennis, football and basketball games between July and September of that year, per the United State’s Attorney’s Office.

Federal investigators interviewed Puig in January 2022, at which point they said he lied several times about his connection to the gambling business as well as persons related to it, per the release. 

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In March 2022, Puig sent an associate involved in the illegal gambling business an audio message through WhatsApp “in which he admitted to lying to federal agents and to obstructing their grand jury investigation during his interview two months earlier,” per the release.

Attorneys for Puig argued that the athlete suffered from “untreated mental issues, and did not have his own interpreter or criminal legal counsel with him,” during conversations with authorities, according to CBS News.

Puig’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 26, and he is not currently in custody. He faces up to 15 years in prison, per the statement from the United State’s Attorney’s Office.

PEOPLE reached out to Puig’s attorneys, the MLB and a rep for Puig on Saturday, Feb. 7, but did not receive immediate responses.

Puig, born in Cuba, signed with the Dodgers in 2012. He later played for both the Cincinnati Reds and the Cleveland Guardians.

If you or someone you know is struggling with a gambling problem, please contact the National Problem Gambling Helpline Network at 1-800-522-4700 or go to gamtalk.org.

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