Yasiel Puig Facing Prison Time After Convictions on Two Federal Charges

Yasiel Puig is facing prison time after federal prosecutors requested he serve 18 months after he was convicted on two counts in relation to interviews he gave as part of a sports gambling investigation.

On February 6, a jury found Puig guilty of lying to federal investigators and obstruction of justice following a 12-day trial. The accusations stemmed from a 2022 informal interview with the former MLB All-Star related to an illegal sports betting operation run by former minor leaguer Wayne Nix.

Puig was being questioned as a witness in the case and was not under investigation, but prosecutors alleged he lied during the interview. He told investigators that he knew Donny Kadokawa, the intermediary he placed bets with, through baseball, not sports betting. During the trial, the prosecution played surreptitiously recorded audio of Puig claiming he didn't cooperate with the investigation. The 35-year-old's defense team argued he cooperated fully in the investigation and blamed the language barrier for some of his answers.

The sentencing request is for 18 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release and payment of $55,200 in fines. Puig is set to be sentenced on May 26.

Keri Curtis Axel, Puig’s attorney, claimed that time in prison was not appropriate in the case.

‘Yasiel Puig is a first-time offender who has already been punished through years of prosecution, reputational damage, financial consequences, and the effective destruction of his professional life,” she told The Athletic. “A prison sentence is not proportional to the conduct and would not accomplish any rehabilitative purpose here. The Court has complete discretion over the sentence, and the defense will request a sentence of probation.”

Sentencing will take place on May 26 in Los Angeles.

Yasiel Puig’s legal issues

Puig has had a number of run-ins with the law during and after his time in the major leagues.

In April 2013, he was charged with reckless driving and speeding in Tennessee for allegedly going 97 mph in a 50 mph zone. Charges were dismissed after he completed 12 hours of community service, but eight months later, he was clocked going 110 mph in a 70-mph zone in Naples, Florida. He was taken to jail, but prosecutors later dropped the reckless driving charge.

In March 2021, a woman accused Puig of sexual assault during a Lakers game in 2018. He denied the allegations, but the woman later sued him. The two parties settled in 2022.

In December 2021, the Washington Post reported Puig had settled a lawsuit filed by two women who claimed he sexually assaulted them in 2017. The settlements were kept secret, allowing Puig to avoid punishment by MLB as he was not placed on leave or suspended pending an investigation.

In the current case, Puig agreed to plead guilty in November 2022, but less than a month later, he chose to change his plea to not guilty. An appeals court later ruled his plea deal had not been accepted by a court, and he would stand trial in the case. He was convicted on Feb. 6, 2026.

Yasiel Puig career numbers

After defecting from Cuba in 2012, Puig signed a seven-year, $42 million contract with the Dodgers. As a rookie in 2013, he hit .319 with 19 home runs, 42 RBIs and a .925 OPS.

His second season in 2014 was his best in the big leagues. He slashed .296/.382/.480 with 15 home runs, 37 doubles, 69 RBIs, a 148 wRC+ and produced a career-high 4.9 bWAR. He had a huge arm in the outfield despite being a below-average defender.

Puig never reached those highs again but did have bursts of production. He was an exciting player when he’d get hot, but, despite immense talent, he was far too inconsistent to stay among the game’s best players.

His final MLB season came in 2019 and was split between the Reds and Guardians.

During his seven-year MLB career, Puig slashed .277/.348/.475, with 132 home runs, a 124 wRC+ and produced 18.8 bWAR.

He has played overseas in the years since, and is currently in the Canadian Baseball League as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

More MLB from Sports Illustrated

Add us as a preferred source on Google