Published on: February 6, 2026, 08:49h.
Updated on: February 6, 2026, 08:49h.
- Ex-MLB player convicted of obstructing justice
- Federal authorities probe illegal sports betting operation
Today, a jury found former Major League Baseball (MLB) star Yasiel Puig guilty of obstructing justice and providing false information to federal officials examining an unlawful sports betting ring.
The charges arose when Puig was questioned about his connections with bookmakers involved in an illegal betting operation, with federal prosecutors claiming he made misleading statements multiple times in 2022.
Regarding the false statements charge, Puig, a Cuban national, misrepresented his gambling history on his immigration application in 2019, falsely asserting he had never participated in illegal gambling or received any income from it.
Illegal Sports Betting Scheme
In August 2022, Puig had initially reached an agreement with prosecutors, intending to plead guilty to a charge of lying to federal agents in return for resolving the case. However, he later retracted his agreement, aiming to uphold his innocence. Federal authorities indicted him in January 2023.
As stated by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, the 13-day trial that commenced in late January revealed that Puig began placing bets in May 2019 with an illegal gambling operation led by Wayne Nix.
Bets Routed Through Intermediary
Puig placed bets through Nix’s operation using a third party, accumulating debts totaling $282,900 in sports betting losses by June 2019.
He was instructed to issue a check or wire transfer to a Nix client named Joseph Schottenstein, who was owed $200,000 in gambling winnings. On June 25, 2019, Puig withdrew $200,000 from a Bank of America branch in Glendale and subsequently purchased two cashier’s checks for $100,000 each, made out to Schottenstein.
Deceived Federal Investigators
However, the Attorney’s Office indicated that Puig did not promptly send the checks due to disagreements regarding his remaining balance and access to Nix’s betting websites. Nix withheld access until Puig settled his debt.
Once he paid the $200,000, Puig gained access to the betting sites. Between July 4, 2019, and September 29, 2019, he made 899 additional bets on sports such as tennis, football, and basketball (but not baseball), racking up nearly $1 million in unpaid gambling debt.
Potential Sentencing Up to 10 Years
Puig played with the Dodgers for six of his seven seasons in MLB, also appearing for the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians in 2019. Over his career, he maintained a batting average of .277 with 132 home runs, 415 RBIs, and an .823 OPS over 861 games. Following his MLB career, Puig signed with professional teams in Mexico, South Korea, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic.
Prosecutors revealed that in March 2022, Puig sent a WhatsApp audio message to an associate of Nix, where he admitted to lying to federal investigators and obstructing their grand jury proceedings during his previous interview.
Nix pleaded guilty in April 2022 to conspiracy charges related to running an illegal sports betting operation and is awaiting sentencing in the coming months. Puig remains free on bail but is due to appear at a scheduled hearing on May 26, where he faces a maximum sentence of ten years for obstruction and up to five years for providing false statements.