Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz have been accused of receiving bribes from sports bettors to manipulate their pitching, deliberately throwing pitches that were not in the best interest of the game, such as intentionally throwing balls instead of strikes to influence betting outcomes.
An indictment revealed in federal court in Brooklyn alleges that Clase and Ortiz collaborated with bettors from the Dominican Republic to assist them in winning prop bets based on pitch speed and results by strategically throwing slower pitches and aiming them outside the strike zone.
Both players have been on non-disciplinary paid leave since July while Major League Baseball looked into suspicious betting patterns during their games.
Ortiz, aged 26, was apprehended by the FBI at Boston Logan International Airport and is scheduled to appear in federal court in Boston. Clase, aged 27, is currently not in custody.
Legal representatives for Ortiz and Clase had no immediate comments regarding the allegations.
The charges against Clase and Ortiz include wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests through bribery, and money laundering conspiracy. If convicted, these charges could result in a maximum prison sentence of up to 20 years.
This development involving Clase and Ortiz is part of a broader federal crackdown on sports betting irregularities, following a Supreme Court ruling in May 2018 that paved the way for increased sports gambling incidents involving athletes and officials.
The recent arrests of more than 30 individuals, including notable basketball personalities like Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, in a gambling investigation have had a significant impact on the NBA.
Major League Baseball confirmed that it alerted federal law enforcement about the unusual betting activities and has been cooperating fully with the ongoing investigations. The Guardians also issued a statement indicating their cooperation with law enforcement and MLB during the investigative process.