The US Attorney's office for the eastern district of New York charges two Major League Baseball players with sports betting conspiracy and money laundering

Federal prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the eastern district of New York charged Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase de la Cruz, 27, and Luis Leandro Ortiz Ribera, 26, of participating in a sports betting scheme involving the deliberate manipulation of pitches to benefit bettors, according to a complaint from the federal prosecutor's office.

U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. called the case a "betrayal of America's pastime," stressing that “integrity, honesty and fair play are part of the DNA of professional sports,” and that corruption "damages the public trust in an institution that is vital and dear to all of us."

The charges they face

Clase and Ortiz face charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud for honest services, conspiracy to influence sports competitions through bribery and conspiracy to money laundering. According to the complaint, the scheme generated approximately $450,000 in illegal profits over two years.

The scheme allegedly began in May 2023 with Clase and two unidentified gamblers. Clase allegedly agreed to throw balls instead of strikes and slower sliders instead of cut straights on multiple occasions, allowing the accomplices to bet with inside information on platforms that offer bets on individual player performance, the complaint states.

Examples cited in the complaint include a May 19, 2023 game against the New York Mets, where $27,000 was won, and another against the Boston Red Sox weeks later, with winnings of $38,000. In the latter, a bettor won by predicting that Clase would throw a ball under 94.95 mph.

The complaint also alleges that Clase used his cell phone during games - a violation of MLB rules - to coordinate with bettors and that he instructed money transfers to Dominican Republic disguised as third-party payments.

Ortiz joined the scheme in June 2025. At a June 15 game against the Seattle Mariners, he reportedly agreed to throw a ball in lieu of a strike in exchange for $5,000, generating an approximate payout of $26,000 for bettors.

Days later, Clase sent a photo of a wire transfer of 90,000 pesos to an associate in the Dominican Republic, instructing him to pose as payment for a horse, according to report NBC News.

In all, bettors won at least $60,000 in wagers based on Ortiz's pitches during June.

Ortiz was arrested in Boston on Sunday and will appear in federal court on Monday. For his part, Clase remains out of custody.

The defense

Ortiz's attorney, Chris Georgalis, denied the allegations in a statement to NBC News: "Luis has never, and would never, improperly influence a game -- not for anyone and not for anything. There is no credible evidence Luis knowingly did anything other than try to win games, with every pitch and in every inning. Luis looks forward to fighting these charges in court."

The Cleveland Guardians told the media outlet that they are aware of the investigation and “we will continue to fully cooperate with both law enforcement and Major League Baseball as their investigations continue."

MLB, for its part, indicated that it contacted federal authorities “at the outset of its investigation and has fully cooperated throughout the process," adding that its own investigation continues.