A jury found former Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig guilty of obstruction of justice and making false statements to investigators Friday in Los Angeles federal court. The two-week trial concluded with the jury deliberating for nearly two days. Puig, 35, could face up to 20 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for May 26. Puig faces a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison on the obstruction of justice charge and up to five years in prison for the two false statement charges.
Puig initially pled guilty to a felony charge of lying to federal agents investigating an illegal gambling operation. He acknowledged in an August 2022 plea agreement that he wracked up more than $280,000 in losses over a few months in 2019 while wagering on tennis, football and basketball games through a third party who worked for an illegal gambling operation run by Wayne Nix, a former minor league baseball player.
As the legend goes, famed Dodgers scout Mike Brito discovered Yasiel Puig during an exhibition game in Canada 2008, when he was a member of Cuban National Series' Elefantes de Cienfuegos. Brito was immediately impressed by Puig's athleticism and knew he had a future in the Major Leagues. The Dodgers ultimately signed Puig on the same 2012 trip to Mexico that produced Julio Urías. Puig went on to make his MLB debut in 2013 as the Dodgers were in mired in a summer swoon.