Facing a prison sentence after being convicted on one count of lying to federal agents and one count of obstruction of justice and with multiple properties facing foreclosure, former Major League Baseball outfielder Yasiel Puig has filed for bankruptcy.
Puig’s petition, filed in the Middle District of Florida Bankruptcy Court on July 2, was filed under Chapter 11 of the bankruptcy code, under which a debtor can seek to reorganize their finances while ultimately satisfying the debts owed to creditors. He reported having assets valued between $10,000,001 and $50 million while owing debts between $1,000,001 and $10 million.
Four days later, the court filed a notice to Puig to alert him that his filing was deficient, as he did not attach summaries of his assets and liabilities, nor lists of secured and unsecured creditors, to the petition.
Puig faces a July 28 sentencing in his long-running federal criminal case, where he was convicted by a jury on one count of lying to federal agents and one count of obstruction of justice relating to statements made to investigators looking into an illegal sports gambling ring in California run by a former minor league baseball player, Wayne Nix. Federal prosecutors have asked for an 18-month prison term for Puig, while his attorneys have asked the court for supervised release.
Over the past few years, Puig has played in Mexico’s Liga Mexicana de Beisbol and South Korea’s KBO League in the summers and the Dominican Republic’s LIDOM and Venezuela’s Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional in the winter, winning the 2024 Caribbean Series with the Tiburones de La Guaira of the LVBP. Unable to get a contract in South Korea or Mexico this season, Puig is currently playing for the Canadian Baseball League’s Toronto Maple Leafs, where he has appeared in 20 games and is tied for the league lead in home runs with eight and on-base percentage at .506. The Leafs are 5-16 and are in last place in the CBL.
Photo: FILE – Venezuela’s Yasiel Puig heads to first after drawing a bases loaded walk to score Ehire Adrianza during the third inning of a Caribbean Series baseball game against Curacao, Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)
