Former MLB superstar Yasiel Puig is facing up to five years in prison … after he agreed to plead guilty to lying to the feds during their investigation of an illegal gambling ring.
Federal prosecutors announced the plea deal on Monday afternoon … saying the ex-Dodgers outfielder intends to make a guilty plea to one count of making false statements at a court hearing later this month.
The charge, according to the feds, carries a maximum sentence of five years behind bars.
Puig — who’s now playing baseball in South Korea after seven seasons in the MLB — had been accused by officials of placing bets through an illegal gambling business beginning back in May 2019.
Officials say in a matter of weeks, he racked up $282,900 in gambling losses — and then cut two separate $100K checks to the operators of the illegal gambling biz to pay off his debts … and continue to make bets.
Authorities say following the payments, he went on to make an additional 899 more bets on the sites from July 2019 to September 2019 on tennis, football and basketball games.
According to officials, Puig was ultimately interviewed over it all — and they say he lied through his teeth … prompting the federal charge.
AUGUST 2022
TMZSports.com
Puig hasn’t played in the MLB since the 2019 season, when he was a member of both the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Guardians. He told TMZ Sports back in August that he was hopeful he could return to the MLB following his stint in the KBO League.