Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz walked free on $500,000 bail on Monday after showing up in a Boston federal courtroom. He faces claims of taking bribes linked to illegal sports betting. Prosecutors say Ortiz and teammate Emmanuel Clase took money from gamblers in the Dominican Republic. In return, they tried to sway the outcome of specific pitches during Major League Baseball games.
Ortiz Must Limit Travel and Avoid Contacts in Federal Investigation
Judge Donald Cabell let Ortiz go with conditions. Ortiz must give up his passport, stay in the Northeast US, and not talk to anyone linked to the case. He also needs to secure $50,000 of the bond in three weeks. The 26-year-old pitcher showed up in court in a light green tracksuit. He did not speak during the hearing. His lawyer did not make any comments after, reported the Associated Press.
Court papers say Ortiz and Clase got thousands of dollars from two unnamed bettors. These bettors then won about $460,000 by betting on pitch speed and placement. The charges also claim Ortiz got $12,000 in total kickbacks for how he played in June games against Seattle and St. Louis.
Federal prosecutors say the two pitchers changed the speed or accuracy of their throws to match what gamblers bet on. The FBI arrested Ortiz on Sunday at Boston Logan International Airport. Clase, 27, has left the country, and officials do not know where he is.
MLB Imposes Stricter Betting Rules Following Federal Investigation
US Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. slammed the alleged plot. He said such actions hurt the heart of professional sports and make people lose trust in fair games. Ortiz’s lawyer, Chris Georgalis, said his client did nothing wrong. He stressed that any money Ortiz sent to people in the Dominican Republic was legal and had nothing to do with gambling.
Major League Baseball took action in response to the case by setting tighter restrictions on bets involving individual pitches, putting a $200 limit on such wagers, and prohibiting them from multi-leg parlays. The league stated it had reached out to federal investigators after spotting questionable betting patterns earlier this year and promised to keep working with authorities.
Both players are facing several federal charges, including plotting to commit wire fraud, honest-services fraud, money laundering, and bribery in sporting contests, crimes that could lead to prison sentences spanning decades if they are found guilty.
The Cleveland Guardians team says it knows about the new events and promises to keep helping with the ongoing federal and MLB investigations. This issue adds to a growing number of sports-betting problems in US professional leagues, happening just weeks after another investigation led to many arrests across the NBA.