A former big league shortstop was caught playing a different kind of game in Miami-Dade County. Yuniesky Betancourt, 42, the ex-MLB player who fielded balls for the Seattle Mariners, Kansas City Royals and Milwaukee Brewers, was arrested along with three others for an alleged insurance fraud scheme, officials revealed. The crew's supposed play has led to charges including filing false insurance claims and staging an accident according to Local 10 News.
Arrested on the field that has seen better days post-retirement for Betancourt, this scam's payout was a reported $61,000. Investigators allege that Betancourt and his alleged accomplices – Maura Perez, Nancy Mercedes Pena, and Abel Vera – attempted to run the bases around insurance provider Kemper, weaving a tale of a staged car crash on Dec. 6, 2022, to collect on premiums. As reported by NBC Miami, the crash was falsely documented to police with the players aiming to receive personal injury and protection benefits undeservedly.
The Florida Department of Financial Services, who played the role of umpire in this case, alleges that the four individuals were seeking medical treatment for phantom injuries, resulting in an insurance bill exceeding $61,000, and successful payout of over $22,800 for treatments at two clinics. These false claims have led to all four suspects facing serious charges including grand theft and an organized scheme to defraud.
Throughout a nine-season career that had Betancourt rounding the bases of professional baseball before hanging up his cleats in 2014, he amassed a sizeable earning way beyond the scam's alleged sum. Local 10 News relayed he banked more than $15.7 million over the course of his MLB career, which seemingly struck out with the arrest. According to court documents, Betancourt is being represented by the Miami-Dade Public Defender's Office as he battles these legal strikes against him.
If convicted on all charges, each of the accused could face a 10-year stint in a different kind of big house, a reminder that no game, no matter how well played, is won against the letter of the law. The four were charged on Friday and booked into Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, the scoreboard now set for a court to call the final score.
.jpg){kind=link}