Former Major League Baseball (MLB) star Yasiel Puig secured a legal win on Thursday after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that he is not bound by a 2022 guilty plea agreement with the Department of Justice (DOJ).
The plea deal stemmed from a 2019 investigation revealing that Puig, now 34, had placed nearly 900 bets on basketball, football, and tennis games through an illegal California-based sports betting ring. The individual handling Puig’s bets had ties to Wayne Nix, a former minor league baseball player. Crucially, Puig did not bet on MLB games.
During a January 2022 interview with federal investigators, Puig was warned that providing false information could lead to felony charges. Despite acknowledging this warning, he later faced allegations of lying and obstructing justice. To avoid more severe charges, Puig agreed to plead guilty to a single count of making false statements in exchange for the DOJ dropping the obstruction charge.
Appeals Court: Waiver Not Binding
Carnet argued that Puig was unprepared for his DOJ interview, lacked proper legal representation, and had to rely on a government-provided interpreter. A native Spanish speaker from Cuba, Puig was not assisted by his own defense counsel at the time.
“We conclude that Puig’s waiver was not triggered,” the court wrote. “The waiver was explicitly contingent on the district court finding a breach of the agreement. Since no enforceable agreement was approved by the court, no such finding could be made.”
The court emphasized that because the plea agreement was a Type A agreement—in which prosecutors agree to drop certain charges—judicial approval was required. Since the district court never approved the agreement, it was not enforceable, and Rule 410 protections remain intact.
Prosecutors’ Claims
Despite the ruling, federal prosecutors have accused Puig of losing nearly $283,000 on illegal bets and misleading them about his interactions with the betting intermediary, referred to in court documents as “Agent 1.”
Judge Daniel Collins, writing for the panel, affirmed that without court approval, the plea agreement had no legal weight.
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