⚖️ Emmanuel Clase indicted, faces up to 65 years; Cade Smith
Prosecutors allege Clase rigged pitches for bettors. He pleaded not guilty and his lawyer says he is innocent. ⏳
By MrMuscles, sports desk · Desk editor Gustavs Ērkšķis-Kreicbergs · · 5 min read
INDICTEDPhoto: Erik Drost · CC BY 2.0What we know
- Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn indicted Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz on wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery and money laundering conspiracy, CBS Sports reported.
- The indictment says both pitchers "agreed in advance with their co-conspirators to throw specific types of pitches and speeds of pitches", and that the co-conspirators then used that information to place bets.
- Both men pleaded not guilty. Clase's attorney told CBS Sports that "Emmanuel is innocent of all charges".
- MLB placed Ortiz on leave on July 3, 2025 and Clase on non-disciplinary paid leave on July 28, 2025. MLB said in November 2025 that its investigation was ongoing.
- The Athletic reported on Nov. 12 that Clase is sitting through a monthlong trial and is expected to learn his fate in early December.
The Athletic reported on Nov. 12 that the Guardians lost a closer to a gambling investigation, but Cade Smith is proving just as proficient. Smith finished second in the AL Reliever of the Year balloting on Wednesday, narrowly behind Louis Varland of the Toronto Blue Jays. The record behind the first half of that sentence is a federal indictment.
Here is the scoreboard. Prosecutors in Brooklyn charged Emmanuel Clase and teammate Luis Ortiz with conspiracy counts tied to rigged pitches. Both pleaded not guilty, and both sides' statements are below.
The timeline
July 3, 2025: Ortiz goes on leave
MLB placed Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz on leave on July 3, Yahoo Sports reported. CBS Sports reported that the probe into Ortiz stemmed from a betting-integrity firm flagging two of his pitches, on June 15 and June 27, that coincided with increased bets on a particular outcome. Both were obvious balls and the first pitch of the inning, CBS Sports said.
See the receipt (opens in a new tab)July 28, 2025: Clase placed on paid leave
MLB announced that Clase was on non-disciplinary paid leave through games on Aug. 31 "while MLB continues its sports betting investigation", CBS Sports reported. The league said it would not comment further until the investigation was completed. The Guardians said they would respect the league's investigative process and fully cooperate.
See the receipt (opens in a new tab)October 2025: Dominican winter league says no
ESPN's Enrique Rojas reported, per Yahoo Sports, that the Dominican Professional Baseball League rejected the registrations of Clase and Ortiz for the Estrellas club. Per that report, MLB does not prohibit them from playing winter ball, and the decision was made independent of MLB's actions. Yahoo Sports said MLB had yet to announce a conclusion in either investigation.
See the receipt (opens in a new tab)November 2025: the indictment
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York announced the charges on a Sunday and unsealed the indictment at the Brooklyn federal courthouse, CBS Sports reported. Prosecutors allege Clase's conduct dated to May 2023 and Ortiz's to June 2025. The indictment says that in some instances the defendants "received bribes and kickback payments". MLB said it contacted federal law enforcement at the outset and that its investigation was ongoing.
See the receipt (opens in a new tab)November 13, 2025: arrest and not guilty plea
FBI agents arrested Clase at JFK Airport after he arrived from the Dominican Republic, and hours later he pleaded not guilty in Brooklyn federal court, ABC News reported. Magistrate Judge Joseph Marutollo released him on a $600,000 bond with location monitoring and a gambling restriction, saying, "I do have serious concerns of risk of flight." The defense stressed that Clase surrendered voluntarily.
See the receipt (opens in a new tab)November 12, 2026: trial, and Smith's runner-up finish
The Athletic reports that Clase is sitting through a monthlong trial to determine whether he goes to prison, and is expected to learn his fate in early December. It says his representatives will argue that the pitches the government deemed rigged were strategically placed, and that messages the government read as code for a microbetting scheme were about rooster fighting in the Dominican Republic. The same day, MLB's video report said Smith finished second for the AL award with 41 saves and a 1.95 ERA.
See the receipt (opens in a new tab)The charges
The indictment lists these counts and maximum sentences, as quoted by CBS Sports. CBS Sports reported the pair could face up to 65 years in prison if convicted on all charges. The indictment itself says the charges are allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
| Count | Maximum sentence if convicted |
|---|---|
| Wire fraud conspiracy | 20 years |
| Honest services wire fraud conspiracy | 20 years |
| Conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery | 5 years |
| Money laundering conspiracy | 20 years |
The money
ABC News reported that, according to the indictment, Clase sent a bettor a text message and then a phone call during an April Guardians-Red Sox game. Four minutes after that call, the bettor and others won $11,000 by wagering that a Clase pitch would be slower than 98 mph, the indictment said.
The totals differ by outlet. ABC News reported that investigators say Clase caused co-conspirator bettors to win at least $400,000 in fraudulent wagers. CBS Sports reported that prosecutors allege Clase's actions benefited bettors by $700,000 and that bettors conspiring with the pair made at least $450,000 from betting platforms. At the bond hearing, the judge noted Clase's five-year, $20 million contract, which paid him $4.5 million in 2025.
The denial
"Emmanuel is innocent of all charges and looks forward to clearing his name in court."
Clase's attorney, in a statement to CBS Sports
Ortiz has also denied the allegations. His lawyer, Chris Georgalis, told CBS News the indictment "completely lacks any alleged evidence connecting Luis to these alleged bettors". CBS Sports quoted the lawyer calling the government's case "weak and circumstantial".
What MLB did
The league put both pitchers on non-disciplinary paid leave, and CBS Sports reported the leaves were extended in late August through the rest of the 2025 regular season. CBS News reported that in a statement the week of the indictment, MLB announced new restrictions on prop bets, including wager caps on pitch-level markets at $200. The league has said its own investigation was ongoing; no outcome appears in the documents read.
Cleveland won the AL Central after Clase left the roster, as Yahoo Sports reported, with Smith taking over the ninth inning. Smith's season is on record. Clase's verdict is not.
Earlier on file: Joe West, 4 umpires sue MLB pension plan over $2M+ in benefits · A-Rod dropped his suits after a 162-game ban cost him $25M
The Emmanuel Clase file
- Filed
Clase pleaded not guilty in Brooklyn federal court after his arrest at JFK Airport, ABC News reported. This story
- Filed
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn announced an indictment charging Clase with wire fraud, bribery and money laundering conspiracies, per CBS Sports. This story
On file: The Emmanuel Clase file · The Cade Smith file · The Cleveland Guardians file · The Major League Baseball file
The Ledger
On the record
- Clase and Ortiz were indicted in Brooklyn on conspiracy counts, pleaded not guilty, and were placed on leave by MLB in July 2025.
Still rumour
- Any verdict or sentence for Clase, the status of Ortiz's case, MLB's own findings, and the alleged winnings (outlets report $400,000, $450,000 and $700,000) are not confirmed in the documents read.
That's the record. The rest is rumour. - MrMuscles
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