Yasiel Puig pleads guilty in illegal sports gambling case

Yasiel Puig pleads guilty in illegal sports gambling case.

According to KTLA 5, former Los Angeles Dodgers star, Yasiel Puig has pleaded guilty to “lying to authorities about betting on sports in connection with an illegal gambling operation.”

The charges he pleaded to include a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $55,000 fine.

According to the outlet, “Puig admits to placing sports bets through a third party who worked on behalf of an illegal gambling business run by Wayne Joseph Nix of Newport Coast, California.”

They believe that Puig made hundreds of bets from May 2019 through September 2019 on sports such as tennis, football, and basketball. There’s no indication he ever bet on baseball.

Read the full press release on Yasiel Puig’s gambling controversy

“In January 2022, federal investigators interviewed Puig in the presence of his lawyer,” the U.S. Attorney’s office said in a statement (above). “During the interview, he falsely stated that he only knew (the third party) from baseball and that he never discussed gambling with him, when in fact Puig discussed sports betting with [the third party] hundreds of times on the telephone and via text message.”

This is not the first time Puig has been in trouble with the law.

In 2017 he was accused of sexual assault, according to The Washington Post. 

In December 2013 he was arrested twice for reckless driving.

“We have spoken to Yasiel and made it clear that we, as an organization, are very disappointed in his recent behavior,” the Dodgers said in a statement at the time, according to ESPN. “This is a very serious issue to us and we will continue to educate him and strive to further develop his growth off the field and as a member of this community.”

Puig currently plays baseball in South Korea.