According to documents released by the Department of Justice, a former Major League Baseball player has agreed to plead guilty to a federal charge for lying to law enforcement officials about sports bets he made.
The maximum sentence for making false statements is five years in federal prison, but that will be reduced by the guilty plea of the player. He agreed to pay a large amount of money.
He will be in court on Tuesday.
According to his plea agreement, the former Major League Baseball player placed bets on sporting events through a third party who worked for an illegal gambling operation.
After paying off $200,000 of his losses and regaining access to betting websites, Puig placed 891 additional bets on tennis, football and basketball games.
There were no mentions of bets that were made on baseball. After playing for Cincinnati and Cleveland, he became a free agent. Last year, he signed a one-year, $1 million contract with South Korea's Kiwoom Heroes.
In January, federal investigators interviewed the man. He admitted in his plea agreement that he lied to the federal agents who were looking into the business.
The IRS Criminal Investigation Los Angeles Field Office Special Agent in Charge Tyler Hatcher said that Mr. Puig chose not to tell the truth when given the chance. The investigators and prosecutors were hampered by Mr. Puig's lies.
In April, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to operate an illegal sports gambling business. Current and former professional athletes were included in the operation that ran for 20 years.
Hiljus, a former MLB player, will plead guilty to two counts of subscribing to false tax returns, according to federal prosecutors. He was an agent for the operation.
Hiljus was drafted by the New York Mets in 1991, but did not make his major league debut until 1999. He played for the A's for two years.
Hiljus could be sentenced to 6 years in federal prison.
The first six seasons of Puig's major league career were with the Dodgers and he was an All-Star in his final season.
This report contains information from The Associated Press and others.
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