Talk of the Town
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Tuesday’s sports events:
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Spurs 113, Knicks 124
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Mammoth 1, Bruins 4
Blackhawks 2, Maple Leafs 3
Flyers 4, Canadiens 1
Islanders 2, Red Wings 3
Canucks 3, Rangers 0
Ducks 3, Blue Jackets 4
Oilers 6, Penguins 4
Capitals 0, Wild 5
Flames 3, Sharks 6
Avalanche 5, Kraken 3
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(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Tuesday’s sports events:
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Mammoth 2, Sabres 1
Bruins 4, Islanders 3
Hurricanes 3, Rangers 0
Oilers 3, Stars 4
Predators 2, Wild 3
Lightning 2, Avalanche 3
Red Wings 0, Golden Knights 1
Panthers 3, Ducks 7
Jets 0, Kings 3
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Bucks 100, Raptors 128
Magic 112, Hawks 127
76ers 111, Bulls 113
Hornets 112, Pelicans 116
Suns 107, Warriors 118
Thunder 126, Clippers 107
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(NEW YORK) — Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz pleaded not guilty to several conspiracy charges accusing him of rigging pitches he through so sports bettors could take home a windfall.
Appearing in a Brooklyn court on Wednesday, Ortiz appeared in a leather jacket and his long dreadlocks pulled into a loose ponytail.
Magistrate Judge Joseph Marutollo ordered Ortiz released on a $500,000 bond secured by his wife and a second surety to be named by next week.
He must stay in Boston, where he has a residence, but is permitted to travel to New York for court and Ohio to meet with his attorneys there.
Ortiz is an “enormous risk of flight,” the judge said.
“The defendant has significant monetary resources and, importantly, has close connections in the Dominican Republic,” Marutollo, who imposed location monitoring, said.
Over the objection of the defense, the judge also imposed a gambling restriction, because, he said, “these allegations here relate to conspiracy to influence sports contests by bribery.”
Ortiz is due back in court on Dec. 2.
Emmanuel Clase, likewise a pitcher for the Guardians, was also indicted in connection to this sports gambling scheme, but is still not in custody. Clase is expected to surrender Thursday and appear for arraignment in Brooklyn federal court that afternoon.
According to the indictment, the pitchers started conspiring with sports bettors in 2023 on specific pitches they would throw during MLB games. The bettors then used that information to place prop bets worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, the indictment said.
The bettors wagered on the speed and type of Clase’s pitches based on information they knew in advance by coordinating with Clase, sometimes even during MLB games, prosecutors said. Clase often threw these allegedly rigged pitches on the first pitch of an at-bat, investigators said. To ensure certain pitches were called as balls, Clase threw many of them in the dirt, well outside the strike zone, according to investigators.
In exchange, Clase received bribes and kickbacks, prosecutors said.
The indictment includes numerous examples of pitches Clase allegedly rigged, including one in a game against the New York Mets. In total, by rigging pitches, Clase caused his co-conspirator bettors to win at least $400,000 in fraudulent wagers, according to investigators.
Ortiz allegedly joined the scheme this year, according to the indictment, and allegedly agreed in advance to throw balls instead of strikes on pitches in two games in exchange for bribes and kickbacks. Before an MLB game on June 15, Ortiz agreed with his co-conspirators to throw a ball on a particular pitch in exchange for bribes, the indictment alleges. The bettors agreed to pay Ortiz a $5,000 bribe for throwing the rigged pitch and Clase a $5,000 bribe for arranging the rigged pitch, also according to the indictment.
“Through this scheme, the defendants defrauded betting platforms, deprived Major League Baseball and the Cleveland Guardians of their honest services, illegally enriched themselves and their co-conspirators, misled the public, and betrayed America’s pastime,” the indictment said.
The criminal investigations into Clase and Ortiz began after betting platforms noticed unusual activity during certain games or moments and/or after referrals from various professional sports leagues, the source told ABC News.
The news of this MLB betting probe comes after the Department of Justice recently unsealed an indictment accusing three current and former National Basketball Association coaches and players of participating in an illegal sports gambling scheme.
A source familiar with the investigation told ABC News that the case against Clase and Ortiz is not connected to the NBA indictment, and is also separate from an NCAA disclosure about six former college basketball players accused of allegedly rigging games.
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(SAN FRANCISCO) — When the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots suit up on Sunday, they will have some of the best players in the world keeping them safe — the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives (ATF) bomb-sniffing dogs.
There will be two K9s, Carolina and Belle, that will be patrolling the Super Bowl, which are both black Labrador retrievers. Additionally, there are more than five other bomb-sniffing dogs that are in the Bay Area to keep the game safe.
Dogs like Carolina and Belle go through an intensive 24-week training to include obedience, training, bomb detection training, and “advanced training” with their handlers so they can respond to “complex” situations. They are two of 16 dog teams in the Bay Area.
“Our canines are vital to keeping security for Super Bowl and the corresponding events,” Alex Buenaventura, ATF deputy special agent in charge of the San Francisco field division, told ABC News. “They’re able to detect explosives, and through their rigorous training, they’re very reliable in finding and locating explosives, firearms and ammunition.”
Belle is based in San Francisco, while Carolina is based in Las Vegas.
ATF is on site along with other federal law enforcement agencies in the Bay Area to help secure the game, and other Super Bowl-related events and will do over 200 searches both in Santa Clara and downtown San Francisco.
The agency is not only providing highly trained dogs but also field intelligence and fire response, according to Buenaventura.
“The response required for events such as the Super Bowl is complex and requires partnerships with our law enforcement agencies on the local, state and federal level, and ATF is proud to respond and provide our expertise,” she said.
ATF and other federal law enforcement agencies have been preparing for over a year to work together to secure the game.
“ATF will continue to respond to national special security events and do our part,” she said. “We’re happy to be here.”
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