Former MLB outfielder Yaisel Puig pleaded guilty to a felony charge of lying to federal law enforcement agents about placing bets on sporting events with an illegal gambling operation, the Department of Justice announced Monday. The offense carries a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.
Puig, currently playing professional baseball in South Korea, also has agreed to pay a minimum fine of $55,000.
Puig began to place bets in May 2019 through an illegal gambling business run by Wayne Joseph Nix of Newport Coast, Calif. By June of that same year, Puig owed Nix’s gambling business $282,900 in lost bets.
