Yasiel Puig has since had a change of heart and is now declaring his innocence on the charge of lying to federal agents who are looking into an unlicensed operation.
Despite allegedly accepting to admit guilt with one charge of making a false statement when federal authorities interrogated him via Zoom in January, the former MLB star stated on Wednesday that he wanted to clear his reputation.
The former All-Star outfielder, 31, said in a statement, “I never should have agreed to plead guilty to a crime I did not commit.”
According to Puig’s attorney, Keri Axel, “important” new information has emerged that has led to a modification of her client’s plea.
Statement regarding Mr Puig
She stated that Mr. Puig, who only completed third grade, had untreated mental health difficulties at the time of his January 2022 interview, and was not accompanied by his own interpreter or a criminal defense lawyer. “We have examined the evidence, including important new information, and have grave reservations regarding the claims made against Yasiel,” the statement reads.
He arrived during the interview “feeling pressured, unprepared, without criminal counsel with him, and also lacking his own interpreter,” according to Puig’s agent, Lisette Carnet of Leona Sports Agency, who made this statement earlier this week.
In the plea deal from August, Puig admitted that he lost more than $280,000 on bets on basketball, football, and tennis matches through a third party who worked for an illegal gambling business run by former minor league baseball player Wayne Nix.
Authorities claim Puig bet on betting sites controlled by Nix at least 900 times. Puig acknowledged that he told a lie to federal investigators looking into the company when he denied placing the wagers through the company.
In April, Nix entered a guilty plea to conspiring to run an unlawful sports gambling operation and submitting a fake tax return. The enterprise, according to the prosecution, was run by Nix for 20 years and employed or had as customers professional players who are still playing today.
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