Major League Baseball Betting Scandal Has A Nantucket Connection

A sports betting and money laundering scandal involving two Major League Baseball players reportedly involved several other individuals who were residing on Nantucket.

Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were charged in November of 2025 with wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, and money laundering conspiracy for their alleged roles in a scheme to rig bets on pitches thrown during MLB games. The two former MLB players are currently in the midst of their federal trial in Brooklyn, New York.

According to ESPN reporter David Purdum in a story published Friday night, a government witness named Luis de Aza Baez testified in the federal trial earlier that day that he met an associate of Clase named Enoc Pena while living on Nantucket and working as an Uber driver, and that the tips came through a group chat called “Uber Inc.," which also included other individuals who lived on Nantucket and met Pena.

“Pena started and included other men (in the group chat) who have been referenced in the case and also worked for the rideshare company in Massachusetts at the time,” Purdum says in his report. “De Aza Baez said he became friends with Pena as well as Robinson Vásquez Germosen and Luis Arismendy Paca Méndez, who are co-defendants in the case, while they were all living in Nantucket, Massachusetts. Paca Méndez, who has pleaded not guilty, is not participating in the trial after being extradited from the Dominican Republic to the U.S. on October 19^th.”

According to the United States Attorney’s Office Eastern District of New York, Ortiz and Clase allegedly rigged their pitches in professional baseball games beginning in 2023 through June of 2025 so that this inner circle, and occasionally themselves, could “quietly cash out their winnings” while placing hundreds of fraudulent bets on pitches.

“The defendants' alleged greed not only established an unfair advantage for select bettors, but also sullied the reputation of America's pastime,” FBI Assistant Director in Charge Chirstopher G. Raia said in a November 2025 release. “The FBI will ensure any individual who exploits their position as a professional athlete at the expense of others strikes out."

According to the FBI, the bettors wagered on the speed and type of Clase’s pitches, based on information they knew in advance by coordinating with Clase, sometimes even during MLB games. Clase often threw these rigged pitches on the first pitch of an at-bat. To ensure certain pitches were called as balls, the FBI said Clase – a former all-star closer and two-time reliever of the year – threw many of them in the dirt, well outside the strike zone. The bettors used the advanced, inside information that Clase provided about his future pitches to wager thousands of dollars at online sportsbooks.

“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 Jr. “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.”

The FBI said Clase received bribes and kickbacks at times from the bettors in exchange for providing advanced, non-public information. He also sometimes provided money to the bettors in advance to fund the scheme. In total, by rigging pitches, Clase allegedly caused his co-conspirator bettors to win at least $400,000 in fraudulent wagers.

In or around June 2025, Ortiz, a starting pitcher for the Cleveland Guardians, joined the criminal scheme. The FBI indicated that together with Clase, Ortiz agreed in advance to throw balls (instead of strikes) on pitches in two games in exchange for bribes and kickbacks.

“Before an MLB game on June 15, 2025, Ortiz agreed with his co-conspirators to throw a ball on a particular pitch in exchange for bribes,” the FBI stated. “The bettors agreed to pay Ortiz a $5,000 bribe for throwing the rigged pitch and Clase a $5,000 bribe for arranging the rigged pitch. Before an MLB game on June 27, 2025, Ortiz agreed with his co-conspirators to rig a second pitch by throwing a ball in exchange for a bribe. The bettors agreed to pay Ortiz a $7,000 bribe for throwing the rigged pitch and Clase a $7,000 bribe for arranging the rigged pitch. Before the game on June 27, 2025, Clase withdrew $50,000 in cash and provided $15,000 to a co-conspirator, who used the money to wager on Ortiz’s rigged pitch during the game. In total, by rigging pitches for bribes, Ortiz caused his co-conspirator bettors to win at least $60,000 in fraudulent wagers.”

Clase had career earnings and an estimated net worth of over $15 million at the time of his arrest while Ortiz had earned $2.79 million in his career. Sports Illustrated published a story days after news broke of the pitching scandal that Clase in particular stood to lose a "staggering" amount of money. Clase was 27 at the time of the arrest while Ortiz was 26. Sports Illustrated said Clase could have made north of $100 million in his career and was already guaranteed to make at least $38 million.

If convicted, the FBI said each defendant faces a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment on the wire fraud conspiracy count, 20 years’ imprisonment on the honest services wire fraud conspiracy count, five years’ imprisonment on the conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery count, and 20 years’ imprisonment on the money laundering conspiracy count.

The Current reached out to the Nantucket Police Department to see whether they have been involved in the FBI's investigation, however Lieutenant Angus MacVicar said Tuesday morning that he could not find any calls or anything related to the case in their files.