Former Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Ortiz was arrested Sunday after being indicted on charges involving sports betting and could now face up to 65 years in prison if convicted on all charges.
Ortiz and fellow Cleveland Guardians reliever Emmanuel Clase have been 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,” according to the Department of Justice and relayed by Zack Meisel of The Athletic. The alleged scheme involved the pitchers purposely throwing balls so gamblers could bet on pitches being balls or strikes.