Former Major League Baseball star Raul Mondesi was handed an eight-year prison sentence by a three-judge panel in the Dominican Republic on Wednesday, September 20. Mondesi, who transitioned from baseball to enjoy a successful run as a politician in his native island-nation is being given the lengthy time behind bars for corruption.
Mondesi, 46, came into the majors as a bright prospect, who went on to win the Rookie of the Year award with the L.A. Dodgers in 1994. He'd follow his rookie campaign with an All-Star season, but within a matter of years began to journey around the league until he completed his respectable career having played for 7 teams between '94 and '05.
According to baseball-reference.com Mondesi made $66,470,000 over the span of his career. But apparently, money was still a motivation when in 2010 he won the Mayoral seat in the town of San Cristobal. The court found that Mondesi had defrauded taxpayers of $6 million during his tenure in office, which lasted up until 2016. The beleaguered star had been under house arrest in the months leading up to the ruling. He met his fate along with three of his aides, who were convicted of assisting him in the corruption.
Along with prison time, Mondesi will have to pay a fine of 60 million pesos ($1.27 million) and will be prohibited from running for office on the island for a 10 year period.
Source: nydailynews.com
