Two MLB players have been charged after allegedly placing fraudulent sports bets worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase de la Cruz and Luis Leandro Ortiz Ribera have been charged with wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, and money laundering conspiracy. The pair were allegedly involved in rigging sports bets on pitches thrown in MLB games, said to be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Ortiz was arrested on November 9 in Boston, with a court date planned on November 10. Clase has not yet been arrested, after being placed on garden leave earlier this year.
“Professional athletes, like Luis Leandro Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase de la Cruz hold a position of trust, not only with their teammates and their professional leagues, but with fans who believe in fair play,” stated United States Attorney Joseph Nocella. “As alleged, the defendants sold that trust to gamblers by fixing pitches.
“In doing so, the defendants deprived the Cleveland Guardians and Major League Baseball of their honest services. They defrauded the online betting platforms where the bets were placed. And they betrayed America’s pastime.
“Integrity, honesty and fair play are part of the DNA of professional sports. When corruption infiltrates the sport, it brings disgrace not only to the participants but damages the public trust in an institution that is vital and dear to all of us. Today’s charges make clear that our Office will continue to vigorously prosecute those who corrupt sports through illegal means.”
The details of the MLB case against Clase and Ortiz
The players allegedly worked with co-conspirators to give them advance warning on pitches that they planned to throw in MLB games. Their partners then used that insider information to place hundreds of fraudulent bets.
The indictment states that Clase would often throw pitches into the ground, far from the strike zone, to feed into previously-placed prop bets. He would sometimes receive bribes for providing information on these throws, earning his co-conspirators around $400,000 in fraudulent bets.
Ortiz joined the scheme from June 2025, agreeing to throw balls on pitches in two games in exchange for kickbacks. It’s estimated that his information and throws led to at least $60,000 earned in unlawful bets.
“Through this scheme, the defendants defrauded betting platforms, deprived Major League Baseball and the Cleveland Guardians of their honest services, illegally enriched themselves and their co-conspirators, misled the public, and betrayed America’s pastime,” reads the official indictment.
If convicted, Ortiz and Clase could face up to a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment for wire fraud conspiracy, 20 years for honest services wire fraud conspiracy, five years for conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, and 20 years for money laundering conspiracy. Convictions on all of those charges would be a maximum of 65 years in prison.
This comes after the MLB has been plagued by betting conspiracies in recent years, with several players having their player status removed and reinstated.
Featured image: ESPN via YouTube / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0
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