"Emmanuel Clase de la Cruz and Luis Leandro Ortiz, two current Major League Baseball players (MLB) in the Cleveland Guardians organization, were charged on Sunday in a sports betting and money laundering scheme in a Brooklyn federal court. The players are alleged to have had roles in a scheme to rig bets on pitches thrown in MLB games beginning early in the 2023 season. They face a list of charges including wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sports betting by bribery, and money laundering conspiracy."
"According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the players allegedly received bribes and kickbacks for their role in the scheme over several MLB seasons. Luis Leandro Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase de la Cruz allegedly rigged their pitches in professional baseball games, so that an inner circle, and occasionally themselves, could quietly cash out their winnings, FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher Raia said in a press release."
"The defendants' alleged greed not only established an unfair advantage for select bettors, but also sullied the reputation of America's pastime. The FBI will ensure any individual who exploits their position as a professional athlete at the expense of others strikes out. According to the indictment handed out on Nov. 9, the defendants agreed in advance with their co-conspirators on specific pitches that they would throw during MLB games. The defendants then used that information to place hundreds of fraudulent bets on those pitches."
Emmanuel Clase de la Cruz and Luis Leandro Ortiz were charged in Brooklyn federal court with participating in a sports betting and money laundering scheme. The indictment alleges they agreed in advance with co-conspirators on specific pitches to throw during MLB games beginning in early 2023. The defendants allegedly used that information to place hundreds of fraudulent bets and received bribes and kickbacks over several seasons. The charges include wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sports betting by bribery, and money laundering conspiracy. The FBI characterized the scheme as providing an unfair advantage to select bettors.
Read at www.amny.com
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