BREAKING: Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz have been indicted by prosecutors in Brooklyn on a host of charges related to a scheme to rig bets on pitches thrown in MLB games. Ortiz was arrested in Boston earlier today. Clase is not currently in custody.
The 23-page indictment against Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz lays out the alleged scheme for the pitchers to intentionally throw balls so bettors could wager on pitches to be balls or strikes. It started, prosecutors say, as early as May 2023 with Clase and later included Ortiz.
Prosecutors allege that Luis Ortiz was paid $5,000 for throwing an intentional ball June 15 and Emmanuel Clase given $5,000 for facilitating it. They did it again, according to the indictment, June 27. The payment for each on that pitch was $7,000 apiece.
In a statement to ESPN, Major League Baseball said: “MLB contacted federal law enforcement at the outset of its investigation and has fully cooperated throughout the process. We are aware of the indictment and today's arrest, and our investigation is ongoing.”
Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz face up to 65 years in prison if convicted on all charges, according to the Eastern District of New York, which outlined the case against Clase and Ortiz after indicting them on fraud, conspiracy and bribery charges.
After Luis Ortiz was charged in a gambling scheme by prosectuors, his attorney, Chris Georgalis, said in a statement to ESPN that Ortiz is "innocent of the charges related to two pitches he threw" and that "he has always given his best effort in every inning of every game."
