Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz have been indicted in a federal case accusing them of helping rig bets on pitches thrown during MLB games.
Court documents say the scheme allegedly worked through prearranged signals. Prosecutors claim the pitchers agreed ahead of time with outside accomplices on what types of pitches they would throw. The co-conspirators then used that insider information to place hundreds of bets, winning at least $400,000 in the process.
Luis Ortiz was arrested in Boston on Sunday and is expected to appear in federal court on Monday, November 10. Emmanuel Clase has not been taken into custody.
Both players were placed on paid, non-disciplinary leave earlier this year as MLB launched an internal investigation into sports betting activities connected to multiple teams.
If convicted, Clase and Ortiz face steep penalties: up to 40 years in prison on two wire fraud conspiracy counts, five years for conspiracy to influence sporting contests, and an additional 20 years on a money-laundering conspiracy count.