| MLB Gambling Trial
of Clase and Ortiz Mulled for
May 2026 in EDNY
by
Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book
Substack
EDNY
COURTHOUSE,
Dec 2 – The Federal
prosecutions for sports
gambling has spread to Major
League Baseball. An indictment
has been
unsealed charging two
defendants, Emmanuel Clase de
la Cruz and Luis Leandro Ortiz
Ribera, 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
during MLB games.
Ortiz was
arrested in Boston and in
Brooklyn on November 12 was
arraigned before Magistrate
Judge Joseph Marutollo and
entered a plea of not guilty
.He was released on a $500,000
bond with his wife as a
suretor. His next court
appearance is a status
conference on December 2, 2025
before U.S. District Judge
Kiyo A. Matsumoto
On November
13 Clase was
arrested at
JFK airport
upon arrival
from the
Dominican
Republic and
then freed on
a $600,000
bond secured
by a property
the defendant
owns in
Cleveland and
one suretor,
his baseball
agent Kelvin
Nova.
On
December 2,
"The
government
described
discovery as
"substantially
complete."
Next status
conference is
on January 15,
2026, at 12
noon. The
parties expect
to confirm a
trial date at
the January 15
conference.
The government
expects a
trial of two
weeks. The
Court and
parties
discussed a
proposed trial
date of May 4,
2026, for jury
selection by a
magistrate
judge and May
11, 2026, to
begin trial,
unless the
Court's
previously
scheduled
trial
concludes in
time to start
the trial on
May 4, 2026."
Inner
City Press is
covering the
cases.
Indictment on
Patreon here
Before the EDNY
indictments in the NBA
gambling (Terry Rozier, et
al.) and poker fraud (Chauncey
Billup, et al), there was and
is the case of US v. Shane
Hennen.
1:25-mj-00006 - filed and then
left unindicted for months.
Inner City
Press, which covers EDNY as
well as SDNY, has been
tracking it since indictment,
now a number of continuances.
Now he's in the Earnest
/ NBA gambling case. He was in
it first...
On October 30,
"NOTICE OF ATTORNEY
APPEARANCE: Alain Jeff Ifrah
appearing for Terry Rozier
(Ifrah, Alain)."
On October 31,
"Minute Entry for proceedings
held before Magistrate Judge
Taryn A. Merkl: Arraignment as
to Shane Hennen (3) NOT GUILTY
on ALL COUNTS of the
indictment. A.U.S.A: Benjamin
Weintraub. Todd Leventhal,
Esq. ret.for deft. (Status
Conference set for 12/8/2025
at 4:30 PM before Judge
LaShann DeArcy Hall).
On November 5,
scheduling: Chauncey
Billups’s arraignment has been
moved to November 24 at 10
A.M. in the ceremonial
courtroom of EDNY.
For now, this:
NBA Gambling
Indictment Blues
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Inner City Press
Coming down the
court, it's Terry Rozier
Fans far away, he hears them
cheer
But Terry's not feeling so
good today
Telling the bookies he will
not play
Crank up the prop
bets
Call Chauncey and set up the
game
Innocent until proven guilty
Still in the hall of fame
Watch this site.
***
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