Yasiel Puig Convicted of Obstruction, False Statements

A federal jury in Los Angeles convicted former Major League Baseball outfielder Yasiel Puig of obstruction of justice and two counts of making false statements to investigators on Friday, following a two-week trial into his involvement with an illegal gambling operation.

The verdict, announced after nearly two days of deliberation, stems from a January 2022 videoconference interview in which Puig allegedly denied knowledge of his sports betting activities during a probe into a gambling ring led by Wayne Nix, a former minor league player. Prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney's Office argued that Puig intentionally misled federal agents from the Internal Revenue Service and Department of Homeland Security by claiming he did not recall details about placing bets or paying debts, despite evidence showing he made approximately 900 wagers on tennis, football and basketball games between July and September 2019. Authorities stated Puig accumulated losses exceeding $280,000 through Nix-controlled websites and an intermediary, Hawaii baseball coach Donny Kadokawa, and owed $282,900 to the operation. Puig was not accused of betting on baseball.

Nix pleaded guilty in 2022 to conspiracy to...