Former Angels Player DeCinces Sentenced In Insider Trading Scheme

ORANGE COUNTY, CA -- Former California Angels third baseman Doug DeCinces on Monday managed to talk his way out of prison for taking part in an insider trading scheme.

U.S. District Judge Andrew Guilford said he was considering prison time for DeCinces Monday, but changed his mind after hearing from the retired infielder. Instead, the judge handed down a one-day sentence, but DeCinces has credit for that amount of time served so will not have to do any more time behind bars.

Guilford also fined the ex player $10,000 and ordered the defendant to spend eight months in home confinement as part of his two years of supervised release.

DeCinces, 68, of Newport Beach, was convicted in May 2017, but later agreed to help federal prosecutors in their case against James V. Mazzo, a friend from Laguna Beach, whose two trials ended with mistrials when jurors deadlocked, eventually prompting prosecutors to dump the case against Mazzo in December.

In Mazzo's first trial the jury was 9-3 for guilt, and in his second trial most of the verdicts were 10-2 acquittal. Guilford noted it was 13-11 for acquittal in two trials.

Guilford said earlier Monday he considered a short prison term for DeCinces ``to help you sort things out and to plot a path back, but you convinced me you don't need that.''

Guilford noted that he has never received so many letters of support from friends and family. One of those letters was from Tim Mead, the former head of Angels public relations who was just hired to be the Baseball Hall of Fame president.

Legendary former teammate Rod Carew also appealed for leniency on Monday, as well as former Orange County Supervisor William G. Steiner.

During Mazzo's second trial DeCinces said he faced five years in prison, but he added prosecutors agreed to request only two years behind bars in exchange for his help prosecuting Mazzo.

DeCinces, who played for the Angels between 1982 and 1987, said he had been advised by a stock broker in 2008 to buy more stock in Mazzo's company, Advanced Medical Optics Inc., because of a planned debt-restructuring that Mazzo had discussed that would save the company about $90 million.

DeCinces testified that he bought 3,500 shares in the company based on the broker's advice, then talked to Mazzo about the restructuring plans, prompting him to buy more than 11,000 additional shares in the ensuing days.

Prosecutors contended that Mazzo tipped off DeCinces in January 2009 about the planned sale of Advanced Medical Optics to Abbott Laboratories.

DeCinces said his stockbroker advised him to sell his shares, and he collected more than $1 million in profits.

Mazzo's attorneys denied that he gave DeCinces any tips about the Santa Ana-based eye care company, noting during DeCinces' testimony that the former baseball player had repeatedly denied receiving any inside information from his former neighbor.

Mazzo agreed in December to pay a $1.5 million fine to settle his civil case with the Securities Exchange Commission. DeCinces paid $1.1 million to settle his SEC case.

City News Service contributed to this report.