The Cuban former Major League Baseball (MLB) player, Yuniesky Betancourt, was arrested last week along with three other people accused of having committed fraud against an insurance company in Miami-Dade County.
According to the local press, the events were recorded last Friday, April 12, when the former professional player, originally from Villa Clara, was implicated along with three other people in the organization of a false car accident, this to claim fraudulent payments to a insurance carrier.
Now, Betancourt, 42, faces serious charges including filing false health insurance claims and arranging a motor vehicle accident.
According to Miami-Dade County authorities records, Betancourt, who played shortstop for the Seattle Mariners, Kansas City Royals and Milwaukee Brewers until his final professional season in 2013, was released after paying a bond of $4,500 on Saturday the 13th.
The report indicates that the other three citizens detained along with the ballplayer were identified as Maura Pérez, Nancy Mercedes Peña and Abel Vera, who face accusations of wanting to defraud the insurance company Kemper, based in Chicago.
Additional charges against the group include conspiracy to defraud and grand theft in the third degree.
According to the media Local 10 NewsBetancourt earned more than $15 million throughout his major league professional career, and the scam he is accused of participating in paid out $61,000.
He New York Post noted that Jimmy Patronis, Florida’s chief financial officer, announced the arrest this Monday the 15th, alleging that the detained group staged a car accident in Miami at the end of 2022.
They would have gone to the police to obtain the necessary documentation to make insurance claims, even though the car incident never occurred.
After finishing his MLB career, Betancourt played an additional season in Japan, finishing his career in the Mexican Baseball League, before retiring from the sport completely.
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