A former Major League Baseball (MLB) player, Yasiel Puig, has been found guilty of obstructing justice and giving false information to federal officials as part of a wider gambling investigation. 

Homeland Security Investigations’ (HSI) El Camino Real Financial Crimes Task Force and officers from the IRS Criminal Investigation wing investigated a suspected flag of irregular betting linked to the former star. 

Puig found guilty

Puig is best known in MLB for his time with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Cincinnati Reds, the Cleveland Indians (now Guardians), and teams in Mexico and South Korea.

As part of a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Central District of California, he has now been found guilty on the charges and faces sentencing in May. 

HSI and IRS respond to gambling red flags 

In 2022, the LA Times reported that Puig had been working with federal investigators and had agreed to a plea deal to provide information about numerous cases linked to former minor league player Wayne Joseph Nix. 

The minor league name Nix was reported to have operated a million-dollar illegal sportsbook with the help of Edon Kagasof, Howard Miller, and the businesses Celebrity Financial LLC and Sherman Oaks Check Cashing. 

He was a target of federal investigators for alleged ties t...