Yasiel Puig Found Guilty of Obstruction, Faces Sentencing in Federal Court
LOS ANGELES - Former Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig, once one of baseball’s most electric and polarizing talents, has been found guilty of obstruction of justice and making false statements to federal investigators. The verdict, delivered after two days of jury deliberation, marks a dramatic turn in a legal saga that began with a single voluntary interview in early 2022.
Puig, now 35, faces up to 20 years in federal prison, though the actual sentence could end up being significantly lighter depending on the court’s assessment. Sentencing is scheduled for May 26.
At the heart of the case was a January 27, 2022 interview with federal investigators probing a sprawling illegal sports gambling ring. Puig wasn’t a target of the investigation at the time.
In fact, he wasn’t required to attend the interview at all. But when he did, prosecutors say he lied - and that’s where his legal troubles began.
The 12-day trial, held at the First Street Federal Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles, featured testimony from more than a dozen witnesses. While much of the evidence detailed the broader gambling operation - one that Puig admitted to participating in - the jury’s focus was narrow: Did Puig tell the truth when investigators asked about his involvement?
According to prosecutors, he did not.
Investigators were particularly interested in Puig’s connection to Wayne Nix, a former minor league ballplayer turned illegal bookmaker. Nix had been operating on behalf of a sports betting site called Sand Island Sports.
He pleaded guilty in 2022 to conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business and to filing a false tax return. He’s still awaiting sentencing.
Puig, prosecutors argued, misled investigators about his relationship with an intermediary named Donny Kadokawa, allegedly claiming he only knew him through baseball. But the government introduced surreptitiously recorded audio in which Puig appeared to admit that he’d intentionally withheld cooperation during the interview.
The defense countered with a different narrative. They argued Puig tried to cooperate in good faith but was misunderstood. His legal team pointed to a language barrier - claiming the interpreter had difficulty with Puig’s specific Spanish dialect - and raised concerns about cognitive challenges, including PTSD, that may have made it harder for Puig to grasp the investigators’ questions.
This wasn’t Puig’s first brush with the legal process in this case. Back in August 2022, he agreed to plead guilty - a move that would likely have resulted in probation and a fine. But just a few months later, in November, he withdrew from the agreement before formally entering the plea in court.
That decision has now led him to this point: a conviction, and the looming possibility of prison time.
Puig, who was released on bond Friday, remains a figure who evokes strong reactions from fans. On the field, he was a lightning rod - a player with jaw-dropping talent and a flair for the dramatic.
He burst onto the scene with the Dodgers in 2013, finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting, and earned an All-Star nod the following season. His MLB career spanned from 2013 to 2019, including stints with three different teams.
But now, his story has taken a sharp detour - from highlight reels to courtrooms. What happens next will depend largely on how Judge Dolly M. Gee weighs the evidence, the arguments, and Puig’s own role in a case that’s become about more than just sports.