Sports and Illegal Gambling

A federal jury in Los Angeles has found former Major League Baseball outfielder Yasiel Puig guilty of obstruction of justice and making false statements to federal agents investigating an illegal sports‑betting ring run by ex–minor leaguer Wayne Nix, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Friday. The verdict follows a multiweek trial that included testimony from MLB officials and Hawaii coach Donny Kadokawa, through whom Puig placed bets, and leaves the 35‑year‑old facing up to 20 years in federal prison at a May 26 sentencing. Prosecutors said Puig racked up more than $280,000 in losses in 2019 while placing at least 900 bets on tennis, football and basketball via Nix‑controlled websites, then lied in a January 2022 interview when he denied knowing who he was betting with or how his debts were settled. Puig had originally signed a 2022 plea deal admitting he lied but later withdrew it, claiming "significant new evidence" and insisting he "never should have agreed to plead guilty to a crime I did not commit." His defense argued at trial that he has a third‑grade education, mental‑health issues, and lacked his own interpreter or counsel during the FBI interview, but jurors sided with the government after hearing recordings of Puig speaking English and expert testimony on his cognitive abilities. The case underscores ongoing federal scrutiny of illegal sports books and athlete gambling ties amid the rapid expansion of legalized betting in the United States.