Former Los Angeles Dodgers star Yasiel Puig has withdrawn from an agreement to plead guilty to lying to federal agents amid an investigation into an illegal gambling investigation, his legal team announced Wednesday. He will instead plead not guilty.
Puig's involvement in the federal investigation stems from allegations that he placed bets on sporting events through a third party with an illegal gambling business run by former minor leaguer Wayne Nix, starting in 2019.
A couple years later, prosecutors say Puig lied"several times" in an interview with federal investigators, after being warned that lying was a crime. Among the false claims Puig is alleged to have made are that he only knew the third party from baseball, rather than the hundreds of illegal bets he allegedly made, and stating he did not know the recipient of his cashiers' checks.
Axel defended him against the allegations by pointing to his education, mental health and lack of interpreter or criminal legal counsel:
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