Former Major League Baseball player Yuniesky Betancourt was caught up in a staged car accident scheme in Miami.
Four people, including a Cuban former professional baseball player, were arrested for allegedly staging a car accident in Miami, falsely documenting it to police, and defrauding an insurance company, authorities said.
Officials with Florida's Department of Financial Services announced Monday that Abel Vera, Nancy Mercedes Pena, Maura Perez and former MLB shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt were all involved in a staged crash on Dec. 6, 2022.
All four suspects allegedly sought treatment and physical therapy for injuries they never sustained from the accident, and as a result, the insurance company was billed over $61,000 from the two clinics and paid out over $22,800 for therapy, officials said.
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Investigators said the suspects had the goal of reporting the accident to insurance to exploit the personal injury and protection benefits associated with an auto policy for financial gain. Detectives later found that the crash never happened as reported to the police and the insurance company.
All four were arrested on Friday and booked into Turner Guilford Knight Center on charges of staging an accident, insurance fraud, organized scheme to defraud and grand theft.
They each face up to 10 years in prison if convicted on all charges.
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Betancourt, 42, spent parts of nine seasons in Major League Baseball with the Seattle Mariners, Kansas City Royals and Milwaukee Brewers.
He played his last game in 2013 and finished his MLB career with more than 1,000 hits.
