Witness ups ante
Ex-Los Angeles Dodger Yashiel Puig’s fight to prove his innocence over gambling-linked federal crimes took a new twist in day two of his trial when prosecutors sent their star witness to the stand.
the middleman for Puig
In a Downtown LA courtroom on Wednesday, Donny Kadokawa testified he was the middleman for Puig and bookies, including Wayne Nix, who in 2022 pleaded guilty to running an illegal sports betting ring in Southern California.
Kadokawa claimed he met ex-MLB All-Star Puig at a Dodgers game and the two “got close” at a youth baseball camp he hosted in his native Hawaii in January 2019.
Further twists
As a veteran baseball coach and owner of Hawaii’s Team Kado Baseball, Kadokawa’s testimony before US District Judge Dolly Gee challenges Puig’s denial that he lied to federal agents about making the bets with Nix.
The ex-Dodger nicknamed “Wild Horse” for his dynamic form is charged with making false statements to the Feds and obstruction of justice.
Kadokawa told the LA courtroom that Puig would place bets with him via text, and that the ex-MLB star lost tens of thousands of dollars “after just a few weeks of making wagers.”
The Hawaiian coach also testified he earned a commission from ex-minor league player Nix for placing Puig’s bets. Kadokawa, however, stated he gave the commissions back to Nix “because he was afraid of possible repercussions due to how much Puig owed.”
use the coach to try to paint Puig “as this very savvy gambler.”
The New York Post, however, cited Puig’s agent Lisette Carnet who, before Kadokawa took the stand, stated she was certain federal prosecutors would use the coach to try to paint Puig “as this very savvy gambler.”
Carnet alleged instead that Kadokawa took advantage of Puig and then “took a deal to basically say that Yasiel was doing something wrong.”
More to come
Kadokawa is expected to return to the stand on Thursday in a trial that is expected to take “a little over a week” to conclude, according to court documents.
worked with Puig over his post-Dodgers offseason
Puig, who played for the Dodgers from 2013 through 2018, starred for the then Cleveland Indians and the Cincinnati Reds in 2019, the year he made the MLB All-Star team. On his website Team Kado Baseball, Kadokawa stated on his now-dated profile that he worked with Puig over his post-Dodgers offseason “to ensure Puig would have a strong start in his new position on the Cincinnati Reds.”
Puig, meanwhile, warmed up for his trial by hitting two home runs last week in the Venezuelan pro league.
