A federal jury found former Major League Baseball outfielder Yasiel Puig guilty Friday of obstruction of justice and lying to federal officials in an investigation related to an illegal gambling operation.

The jury's decision came after hearing testimony from Major League Baseball executives and Donny Kadokawa, a trainer of Hawaiian baseball player identified as the intermediary through whom Puig placed bets. As a result of the ruling, the former player now faces a possible sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison, and his sentencing is scheduled for May 26. Following the verdict, Puig's defense attorney, Keri Curtis Axel, maintained that the government failed to prove key elements of the case and indicated that she will file post-trial motions. "We hope to clear Yasiel's name," she stated. The Gambling Case and the Turn in His Defense: Puig, 35, had initially pleaded guilty in 2022 to lying to federal agents investigating an illegal gambling ring. In an agreement signed in August of that year, he admitted to accumulating losses exceeding $280,000 in just a few months of 2019, betting on tennis, football, and basketball games through a third party linked to an operation run by Wayne Nix, a former minor league player. Nix pleaded guilty that same year to conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business and filing a false tax return, though he is still awaiting sentencing. According to authorities, Puig placed at least 900 bets through platforms controlled by Nix and through an associate of that organization. Prosecutors maintained that, during an interview with federal investigators in January 2022, Puig denied knowing the nature of the bets, with whom he was betting, and how he had paid his gambling debts. However, months later he changed his stance and announced he would plead not guilty, citing the existence of “significant new evidence.” “I want to clear my name,”Puig declared at the time, “I should never have agreed to plead guilty to a crime I didn’t commit.”

During the trial, the government argued that the former player intentionally misled investigators. Prosecutors presented audio recordings of Puig speaking in English and called in experts to assess his cognitive abilities, as reported by The New York Times. The defense, for its part, asserted that Puig had only a third-grade education, suffered from untreated mental health issues, and did not have his own interpreter or criminal defense counsel during the interview.

Puig’s former attorney, Steven Gebelin, testified that the interpreter had difficulty understanding the player’s Spanish dialect and that Puig attempted to cooperate during the questioning.

Beyond the legal case, Puig left a recognized mark on professional baseball. In seven seasons in MLB, he batted .277, hit 132 home runs, and drove in 415 runs, becoming an All-Star in 2014. He debuted with the Los Angeles Dodgers, where the legendary Vin Scully nicknamed him "The Wild Horse" for his explosive style and precocious talent after reaching the majors at just 22 years old, shortly after escaping from Cuba.