Former Pirates Player Potentially Faces Decades In Prison After Indictment

PITTSBURGH, PA — Luis Ortiz, a promising Pirates pitcher traded to the Cleveland Guardians last year, is one of two players on that team indicted by federal authorities for allegedly participating in an illegal gambling plot.

Ortiz, 26, and Emmanuel Clase, 27, were charged 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 Major League Baseball games.

The indictment alleges that in 2023, Clase, a Guardians relief pitcher, agreed with corrupt sports bettors to rig proposition bets - or "prop bets" - on particular pitches he threw. The bettors wagered with online sportsbooks on the speed and type of Clase's pitches based on information they knew in advance by coordinating with Clase.

Ortiz is accused of joining the scheme in June, agreeing to throw balls, instead of strikes, on pitches in two games in exchange for bribes and kickbacks.

Professional athletes like Ortiz and Clase "hold a position of trust - not only with their teammates and their professional leagues, but with fans who believe in fair play," Joseph Nocella, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a statement.

Ortiz spent three years with the Pirates from 2022 through 2024, compiling an overall won-lost record of 12-13 and an ERA of 3.93. Last December, he and two other pitchers were traded to the Guardians in exchange for first baseman Spencer Horwitz.

If convicted, Ortiz and Clase each face 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.

“As alleged, the defendants sold that trust to gamblers by fixing pitches," Nocella said.

"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."