Months after being placed on leave, two professional pitchers were named in a federal indictment, having allegedly “betrayed America’s pastime.”
Major league sports got rocked by another gambling scandal over the weekend, only this time, instead of impacting the courts of the NBA, an MLB dugout was under fire. According to an unsealed federal indictment, Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Emmanuel Clase and starting pitcher Luis Ortiz allegedly conspired with sports bettors to rig their on-field actions to win bets.
The release from U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Joseph Nocella, Jr.’s office detailed the charges of wire fraud conspiracy, honest service wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery and money laundering conspiracy combining for up to 65 years behind bars if convicted on all counts after the pitchers allegedly “agreed in advance with their co-conspirators to throw specific types and speeds of pitches, and their co-conspirators used that inside information to place wagers on those pitches.”
BREAKING: The Department of Justice has charged two Cleveland Guardians pitchers, Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase, in sports betting and money laundering conspiracy. pic.twitter.com/c5narUTgKr
— Pablo Torre (@PabloTorre) November 9, 2025
Alleging that Clase initially agreed to the criminal scheme in May 2023 that impacted “hundreds of fraudulent bets,” and Ortiz began participating in June 2025, the indictment stated, “With CLASE’s knowledge and approval, Bettor-1, Bettor-2, and other Bettors used this information to place over a hundred fraudulent Pitch Speed and Ball/HBP straight bets and parlays on CLASE’s pitches on the Betting Platforms.”
“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,” said Nocella as, in addition to the charges, the attorney asserted the pitchers “betrayed America’s pastime.”
“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,” he went on. “Today’s charges make clear that our Office will continue to vigorously prosecute those who corrupt sports through illegal means.”
At the time of this post, Clase had yet to be arrested, but Ortiz had been taken into custody in Boston, Massachusetts, on Sunday, with his first appearance in federal court slated for Monday.
Reacting to the indictment, the starting pitcher’s attorney, Chris Georgalis, said in part, “Luis Ortiz is innocent of the charges related to two pitches he threw. He has never, and would never, improperly influence a game–not for anyone and not for anything.”
After Luis Ortiz was charged in a gambling scheme by prosectuors, his attorney, Chris Georgalis, said in a statement to ESPN that Ortiz is “innocent of the charges related to two pitches he threw” and that “he has always given his best effort in every inning of every game.” pic.twitter.com/4RAakmvtcB
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 9, 2025
Georgalis further contended, “There is no credible evidence that 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 government’s case is weak and circumstantial.”
For their part, the team released a statement expressing, “We are aware of the recent law enforcement action. We will continue to fully cooperate with both law enforcement and MLB as their investigation continues.”
The wire fraud charges come on the heels of the arrest of over 30 people in October as part of an FBI investigation linking NBA figures, including a current player and coach, with alleged sports betting and money laundering, along with ties to organized crime.
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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