LOS ANGELES (AP) \u2014 A jury has found former major league outfielder Yasiel Puig guilty of obstruction of justice and lying to federal officials investigating an illegal gambling operation, the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office said Friday.<\/p>\n
The verdict came after a multiweek trial that featured testimony from Major League Baseball officials and Donny Kadokawa, a Hawaii baseball coach that Puig placed bets through. Puig now faces up to 20 years in federal prison and is scheduled to be sentenced May 26.<\/p>\n
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Puig’s attorney, Keri Curtis Axel, said the government failed to prove key elements of its case and that she plans to raise post-trial motions.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe look forward to clearing Yasiel\u2019s name,\u201d Axel said.<\/p>\n
Puig, 35, initially pled guilty<\/a> to a felony charge of lying to federal agents investigating an illegal gambling operation. He acknowledged in an August 2022 plea agreement that he wracked up more than $280,000 in losses over a few months in 2019 while wagering on tennis, football and basketball games through a third party who worked for an illegal gambling operation run by Wayne Nix, a former minor league baseball player.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Nix pled guilty in 2022 to conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business and subscribing to a false tax return. He is still awaiting sentencing.<\/p>\n Authorities said Puig placed at least 900 bets through Nix-controlled betting websites and through a man who worked for Nix.<\/p>\n Prosecutors said that during a January 2022 interview with federal investigators, Puig denied knowing about the nature of his bets, who he was betting with, and the circumstances of paying his gambling debts.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n