Pittsburgh Pirates Star
Oneil Cruz Allegedly Hired Fixer to Pay $66K to Crash Victims’ Families
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Oneil Cruz — one of the top bats on the Pittsburgh Pirates — allegedly brought in a “fixer” to buy off the families of three people who died in a tragic car accident … according to a new report.
ProPublica released a report earlier this week … which alleges that, in 2020, Cruz’s SUV rear-ended a motorcycle with three people on it, killing all 3 of them, in the Dominican Republic.
According to a press release from authorities at the time, Cruz allegedly “had consumed alcoholic beverages prior to the accident.” The public prosecutor’s office called for the “imposition of preventive detention” at the time.
Enter Santo Caraballo, who ProPublic claims is a “prestamista” — a moneylender who exchanges cash for a future percentage of baseball stars’ earnings years before they make the major leagues. The controversial practice has grown rapidly in Latin American countries in recent years.
Because the DR’s legal system gives victims’ families significant sway over whether to pursue prosecution, family members told ProPublica Caraballo made the issue go away by doling out around $66K to the three families.
Prosecutors could still have pursued charges against Cruz … but, because the families reportedly agreed to withdraw all legal claims against Cruz in court docs, the prosecution’s case was flimsy.
Cruz’s lawyer, Amauris Vásquez Disla, told ProPublica that the incident was “a profound tragedy for all parties involved, especially the victims’ families.” He also added that the court “issued an order of dismissal based on the findings, a legally binding decision that was a lawful resolution of this matter.”
In a statement, the Pittsburgh Pirates added they had “addressed this matter more than six years ago based on the information available and the outcome of the legal proceedings.”
Cruz was never suspended for his alleged involvement with the crash. It’s unclear if this new report will lead MLB to open an investigation.
The 27-year-old is having one of the best seasons of his career. He’s hitting .277 with 18 home runs this year and leads Pittsburgh in stolen bases.
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