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MLB bans Tucupita Marcano for life for betting on baseball
NEW YORK | San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano was banned from baseball for life for betting on the sport and four others were suspended for one year by Major League Baseball on Tuesday in the game’s biggest gambling scandal in decades.
MLB said Marcano placed 387 baseball bets totaling more than $150,000 in October 2022 and from last July through November with a legal sportsbook. He became the first active player in a century banned for life because of gambling.
Oakland Athletics pitcher Michael Kelly was suspended for one year for betting on baseball while in the minor leagues and three minor leaguers also were banned for one year for betting on big league games: pitchers Jay Groome of San Diego and Andrew Saalfrank of Arizona, and infielder José Rodríguez of Philadelphia. Each of those four players wagered under $1,000. Saalfrank and Rodríguez played previously in the majors.
“The strict enforcement of Major League Baseball’s rules and policies governing gambling conduct is a critical component of upholding our most important priority: protecting the integrity of our games for the fans,” baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “The longstanding prohibition against betting on Major League Baseball games by those in the sport has been a bedrock principle for over a century. We have been clear that the privilege of playing in baseball comes with a responsibility to refrain from engaging in certain types of behavior that are legal for other people.”
Marcano is the first active major leaguer banned for life under the sport’s gambling provision since New York Giants outfielder Jimmy O’Connell in 1924. Pete Rose, baseball’s career hits leader, agreed to a lifetime ban in 1989 after an investigation concluded he bet on Cincinnati Reds games while managing the team.
Major League Rule 21, posted in every clubhouse, states betting on any baseball game in which a player, umpire, league official or team employee has no duty to perform results in a one-year suspension. Betting on a game in which the person has a duty to perform results in a lifetime ban.
Marcano became the second North American athlete banned for gambling in recent months. The NBA gave Toronto’s Jontay Porter a lifetime ban in April after concluding he disclosed confidential information to bettors and wagered on games, including on the Raptors to lose.
MLB said it was tipped off in March about the betting activity by a legal sports betting operator. New monitoring measures put in place with MLB and the sportsbook triggered these wagers being flagged for attention, a person familiar with investigation told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity Tuesday because that detail was not announced.
None of the players punished played in any games on which they wagered, and all players denied to MLB they had inside information relevant to their bets or the games they gambled on – testimonies that MLB said aligned with data received from the sportsbook.
In its announcement, MLB detailed the bets alleged for each player,
Marcano’s 387 baseball bets included international games and 231 MLB-related wagers for $87,319 from Oct. 16-23, 2022, and from last July 12 through Nov. 1. Twenty-five of those bets included wagers on Pirates games while he was on the team’s major league roster. Now 24, Marcano, has not played since tearing his right ACL last July 24 and was receiving medical treatment at PNC Park last year.
Marcano bet almost exclusively on the outcomes of games and lost all of his parlay bets involving the Pirates, winning just 4.3% of all of his MLB-related bets.
Marcano made his major league debut on April 1, 2021, and has a .217 average with five homers, 34 RBIs and seven stolen bases in 149 games. He has played in both the infield and outfield.
“While the thorough investigation revealed no evidence of any games being compromised, influenced or manipulated in any way in this case, protecting the integrity of our game is paramount,” the Pirates said in a statement.
The other four players did not bet on games involving their assigned teams.
Kelly placed 10 bets on nine major league games from Oct. 5-17, 2021, while a minor league player assigned to Houston’s Triple-A Sugar Land farm team. The bets included wagers on outcomes, over/under on runs and an individual pitcher’s strikeout total. Three of the nine games involved the major league Astros. His wagers totaled $99.22 and resulted in $28.30 of winnings.
Kelly, 31, was 3-2 with a 2.59 ERA in 28 games this season, last pitching on Saturday at Atlanta. The former first-round draft pick appeared in 46 games over the past three seasons.
Groome, a 25-year-old who had been on a minor league injured list since mid-April, placed 32 MLB-related bets from July 22, 2020, through July 24, 2021, including 24 on the Boston Red Sox major league team while he was assigned to Boston’s High-A team in Greenville, South Carolina. The sport detailed he wagered $453.74 on 30 MLB games and had a net loss of $433.54, receiving payouts on only two wagers. His betting included parlays.
Rodríguez, 23, has been at Double-A Reading this season. He placed 31 bets on baseball on Sept. 30, 2021, and from June 5 through July 30 in 2022, including 28 on MLB and three on college baseball. The total included seven involving the Chicago White Sox at the time he was assigned to their Double-A team in Birmingham, Alabama. Two of the White Sox bets involved outcomes and the others were on runs scored. He bet $749.09 on baseball, of which $724.09 was on MLB-related bets that included parlays.
Saalfrank, 26, pitched in 21 games for Arizona last year between the regular season and postseason, including three World Series games, and two this year before he was optioned to Triple-A Reno on May 1. He placed 29 baseball bets from Sept. 9 through Oct. 29 in 2021 and on March 9, 2022, including 28 on MLB and one parlay on college baseball. He placed four bets on the big league Diamondbacks while on the injured list of their Low A farm team. His baseball bets totaled $445.87 on baseball, including $444.07 on MLB, and lost $272.64 on MLB bets and $1.80 on the college wager. He won just five of 28 MLB bets, which included outcomes, runs and pitcher strikeouts.
Shohei Ohtani says he has ‘closure’ after ex-interpreter’s guilty plea
SANTA ANA, Calif. | The former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud on Tuesday and admitted to stealing nearly $17 million from the Japanese baseball player to pay off sports betting debts.
Ippei Mizuhara ‘s crimes stunned the baseball world, shattering his image as Ohtani’s shadow at ballparks around the U.S. He entered his guilty plea in federal court in Santa Ana, California.
The ex-interpreter had exploited his personal and professional relationship with Ohtani to plunder millions from the two-way player’s account for years, at times impersonating Ohtani to bankers. Mizuhara signed a plea agreement that detailed the allegations on May 5, and prosecutors announced it several days later.
Mizuhara’s attorney declined to comment outside the courthouse. Mizuhara spoke briefly in court acknowledging his guilt. “I worked for victim A and had access to his bank account and had fallen into major gambling debt,” he told the court. “I went ahead and wired money … with his bank account.”
There was no evidence Ohtani was involved in or aware of Mizuhara’s gambling, and the player cooperated with investigators, authorities said.
Martin Estrada, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, said after the hearing that Ohtani was particularly vulnerable.
“Mr. Ohtani is an immigrant who came to this country, is not familiar with the ways of this country and therefore was easily prey to someone who was more familiar with our financial systems,” said Estrada, adding that his office has established a Vulnerable Victims Task Force to look at fraud against older adults and immigrant groups.
Mizuhara faces numerous consequences including possibly being deported to Japan, Estrada said.
Ohtani expressed relief after the hearing and thanked his team, family and the Dodger organization “who showed endless support throughout this process. It’s time to close this chapter, move on and continue to focus on playing and winning ballgames.”
“Now that the investigation has been completed, this full admission of guilt has brought important closure to me and my family,” Ohtani said. “I want to sincerely thank the authorities for finishing their thorough and effective investigation so quickly and uncovering all of the evidence.”
Mizuhara’s winning bets totaled over $142 million, which he deposited in his own bank account and not Ohtani’s. But his losing bets were around $183 million, a net loss of nearly $41 million. He did not wager on baseball. Estrada said Mizuhara spent some of the money to cover dental fees.
Mizuhara pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of subscribing to a false tax return. The bank fraud charge carries a maximum of 30 years in federal prison, and the false tax return charge carries a sentence of up to three years in federal prison. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 25.
He also is required to pay Ohtani restitution that could total nearly $17 million, as well as more than $1 million to the IRS. Those amounts, however, could change prior to sentencing.
Federal prosecutor Jeff Mitchell told the court Mizuhara was hired as an interpreter for a Major League Baseball player who didn’t speak English, and helped translate between him and his financial advisors, who did not speak Japanese. In 2018, Mizuhara helped the player open a bank account in Phoenix to deposit payroll and received login information for the account, Mitchell said.
When Mizuhara was unable to pay sports gambling debts, he deceived the bank to get money from the account to pay them off, Mitchell said. He did this by signing into the account online and changing the registered phone number and email for the account so communication would be routed to Mizuhara instead of the player, Mitchell said. On multiple occasions from 2021 to 2024, Mizuhara initiated wire transfers from the account and received a six-digit code from the bank to complete the transactions, Mitchell said.
Mizuhara’s plea deal was negotiated with prosecutors before he was even arraigned in federal court in Los Angeles in mid-May. He was initially charged with one count of bank fraud.
The Los Angeles Times and ESPN broke the news of the prosecution in late March, prompting the Dodgers to fire the interpreter and MLB to open its own investigation.
MLB rules prohibit players and team employees from wagering on baseball, even legally. MLB also bans betting on other sports with illegal or offshore bookmakers.
Mizuhara’s hearing came hours after MLB banned San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano from baseball for life in the wake of another gambling scandal. MLB said Marcano placed 387 baseball bets totaling more than $150,000 in October 2022 and from last July through November with a legal sportsbook. He became the first active player in a century banned for life because of gambling. Four others were suspended Tuesday.
Prosecutors declined to comment when asked about Marcano on Tuesday.
49ers reward Christian McCaffrey with a two-year contract extension
SANTA CLARA, Calif. | The San Francisco 49ers rewarded All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey with a contract extension after he won the AP Offensive Player of the Year award in his first full season with the team.
A person familiar with the deal said it’s worth $19 million per year over two years. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday because the terms of the deal were not announced by the team. Pro Football Talk first reported the new contract.
“Business is business,” McCaffrey said Tuesday. “It’s part of this game. Both sides were mutually very respectful the whole time. Just proud and happy that we got something like this done.”
McCaffrey was on hand at the start of San Francisco’s mandatory minicamp after skipping the voluntary practices the previous two weeks. He didn’t take part in work on the field because the Niners didn’t want to rush him into action.
McCaffrey has helped transform San Francisco’s offense since being acquired in a trade from Carolina midway through the 2022 season. In 27 games for the Niners, McCaffrey has rushed for 2,205 yards and 20 touchdowns and caught 119 passes for 1,028 yards and 11 scores.
He led the NFL last season with 2,023 yards from scrimmage and was tied for the league lead with 21 touchdowns.
McCaffrey, who turns 28 on Friday, now will be under contract through the 2027 season. But coach Kyle Shanahan said he has no concerns about paying a running back like McCaffrey into his 30s, when most backs struggle to produce.
“When you look at Christian, just as an individual, I’m not going him to compare anybody else,” Shanahan said. “Christian is one of the more talented people I’ve ever been around in my life. But if I didn’t speak about that, I’d say he’s almost the biggest overachiever I’ve been around in my life in terms of how obsessive he is with every little thing. … As you get older, with age, you lose a step or something. That’s not what makes Christian great.”
McCaffrey was already the highest-paid running back in the NFL based on a $16 million-a-year extension he signed with Carolina in 2020 and now becomes the rare running back to cash in for a third contract, which he hopes will help other backs get paid more as well.
McCaffrey was one of several star running backs who were outspoken last summer when several top players at the position struggled to get long-term contracts.
“I think it’s really important,” he said. “Running back has been undervalued for a long time now. Hopefully this is a step in the right direction.”
The Niners were missing two players for the mandatory minicamp, with All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams excused for the first day to attend his daughter’s graduation and star receiver Brandon Aiyuk staying away in a contract holdout that could cost him more than $100,000 in fines.
Shanahan said he’s not concerned about Aiyuk’s absence and remains hopeful that a deal will get done.
“It doesn’t change at all,” he said. “You find out when guys are in those situations whether they come or not. Some guys come because they want to avoid a fine and some don’t.”
Aiyuk was a key part of San Francisco’s offense last season, when he formed a great connection with quarterback Brock Purdy. Aiyuk had 75 catches and a career-high 1,375 yards last season with seven touchdowns and he earned second-team All-Pro honors.
Aiyuk is set to play on the fifth-year option worth about $14.1 million this season and wants a long-term contract that would pay him significantly more money based on his production so far in his career. Several top receivers have signed new contracts this offseason, raising the market for top wideouts to the range of $30 million a year.
Fellow receiver Deebo Samuel, who went through a similar contract dispute two years ago, said he has been in contact with Aiyuk about how to handle what he described as a “stressful” situation.
“At the end of the day, you want to get what you deserve and at the end of the day it will happen,” Samuel said. “But it’s not going to happen in the timely manner that you want it to happen. It’s just a waiting game.”
NY man charged in sports betting scandal that led
to Jontay Porter’s ban
NEW YORK | A New York man was charged Tuesday in a sports betting scandal that spurred the NBA to ban Jontay Porter for life, with the charges marking the first known criminal fallout from the matter.
Porter isn’t named in the court complaint, but its specifics about “Player 1” match the details of the former Toronto Raptors player’s downfall this spring. It’s unclear whether Porter himself is under investigation in the criminal case — Brooklyn federal prosecutors declined to comment on whether he is.
The court complaint against Long Phi Pham says the player communicated directly with defendant Pham and other conspirators.
Current contact information for Porter couldn’t immediately be found.
According to the complaint, the player told Pham and others, via encrypted messages, that he planned to take himself out of Jan. 26 and March 20 games early, claiming injury or illness. Porter played 4 minutes, 24 seconds against the Los Angeles Clippers in the first of those games, then 2 minutes 43 seconds against the Sacramento Kings in the second game, both times falling short of wagering lines based on his expected performance.
Pham and other conspirators — whose names are redacted in the court complaint — used that advance knowledge to place bets on Porter underperforming, prosecutors allege. The bets paid off to the tune of more than $1 million for the group, according to prosecutors.
A message seeking comment was left for Pham’s lawyer. Pham, 38, of Brooklyn, was being detained after an initial court appearance Tuesday. Accused of conspiring to defraud a sports betting company, he’s due back in court Wednesday for a bail hearing.
Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said the alleged conspirators “participated in a brazen, illegal betting scheme that had a corrupting influence on two games and numerous bets.”
“Whether on the court or in the casino, every point matters,” Peace said in a statement.
The NBA banned Porter in April, after a league probe found he disclosed confidential information about his health to a sports bettor, and that Porter himself wagered on games using someone else’s account — even betting on the Raptors to lose.
“There is nothing more important than protecting the integrity of NBA competition for our fans, our teams and everyone associated with our sport, which is why Jontay Porter’s blatant violations of our gaming rules are being met with the most severe punishment,” League Commissioner Adam Silver said at the time in a press release. Portions of that release are quoted in the court complaint against Pham.
Messages seeking comment were left for the NBA and the Raptors.
Porter was on what’s called a two-way contract, meaning he could play for both the Raptors and their affiliate in the G League. His salary for this year was around $410,000; had the Raptors signed him to a standard NBA contract next season, as seemed possible, his salary would have exceeded $2 million.
The 24-year-old Porter averaged 4.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 26 games, including five starts. He also played in 11 games for Memphis in the 2020-21 season.
—From AP reports
