Cleveland Guardians Pitchers Face Up to 20 Years in Prison Over Game-Fixing Scheme Tied to Betting

^{Pictured: Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz}

Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz have been charged in a U.S. federal case alleging their involvement in a betting-related match-fixing scheme, AP News reports. Prosecutors claim the players accepted payments from bettors and deliberately altered their performance during games to secure prearranged wins.

According to documents filed in federal court in Brooklyn, the athletes allegedly received several thousand dollars from two citizens of the Dominican Republic.

Those individuals are accused of using insider information to win at least $460,000 on bets linked to the speed and outcome of specific pitches.

Ortiz, 26, was arrested at Boston Logan International Airport, while 27-year-old Clase remains free. Both players have been suspended since July, when Major League Baseball launched an internal investigation into suspicious betting activity coinciding with their appearances.

Defense attorneys deny the allegations. Ortiz’s representative said all money transfers between his client and acquaintances in the Dominican Republic were legitimate and unrelated to gambling. Clase’s legal team maintained that he “has always played honestly and helped his team win.”

Investigators allege the pitchers communicated with bettors ahead of games to coordinate which pitches would be thrown. Before one matchup against the Boston Red Sox, Clase allegedly phoned a bettor who later won $11,000 by wagering on a slow pitch.

When another bet failed, prosecutors say Clase sent humorous images in a messaging app — including a man “hanging” from a roll of toilet paper and a sad puppy — interpreted as his reaction to the loss.

Both players face charges of fraud and money laundering, carrying potential sentences of up to 20 years in prison.

The Clase-Ortiz case is part of a growing wave of investigations into gambling-related corruption in U.S. sports. Earlier scandals have touched the NBA, involving Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier.