AROD'S COUSIN WAS PAID FOR HIS SILENCE

We all know that the Biogenesis case is far from over. Anthony Bosch is currently awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to illegally distributing performance enhancing drugs to athletes, including MLB players, and high school athletes. Yuri Sucart, the infamous cousin of Alex Rodriguez, on the other hand plead not guilty and is awaiting trial. But an interesting bit of information was released today by the Daily News.

It turns out that Sucart may very well have all but black mailed his cousin. According to the Daily News "In a Dec. 18, 2012 letter, Sucart's former attorney, Jeffrey Sonn, had demanded $5 million and a 'life estate' for Sucart and his wife, according to court papers." These papers were filed last week in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. All of this came after Sucart claimed he was unable to pay a $600 monthly fee for the court appointed attorney. A look into Sucart's financial earnings proved that he could easily afford an attorney without the courts assistance. 

This wasn't the only interesting passage from the letter. The letter continues:

"Yuri, even after he was accused of being a steroid mule for you, kept your confidences of all your activities while you played for the Rangers and the Yankees." 

"Yuri was trained to serve as a personal assistant to professional baseball players. Due to your use of performance-enhancing substances, Yuri was wrongly blamed. Nonetheless, Yuri remains able and willing to continue to serve you and your needs as a personal assistant, within the restrictions that baseball has placed upon him. He does not wish to and does not intend to ever speak to the MLB unless he is subpoenaed."

"Given the sudden breach of your longstanding agreement with Yuri, he wishes to propose that you provide to him payment for his past services rendered, and for the loyalty he has shown you. Therefore, Yuri request that you now pay him for the past services rendered and to fulfill your promise to support he and his wife in the house (free and clear of any liens or mortgages) where he is currently living." 

This is all kinds of wrong. I'm no legal guru, but this sounds an awful lot like extortion. Why the private letter sent to ARod? If it was a valid request, why not take it to court? Was he afraid that the courts would find out his role in the biogenesis case, and he would wind up implicating himself? ARod did not pay Sucart until after Bud Selig handed down the 211 games suspension, with the first payment being made on June 5, 2013. In the papers filed, Prosecutor Patrick Sullivan said that ARod plays a role in proof of conspiracies to distribute testosterone and human growth hormone. 

So, what does this mean for ARod directly? Nothing really, except his cousin is a little shady. Him paying a lump sum to Sucart does not prove his innocence or guilt. This won't effect him playing for the Yankees, sorry to those hoping for that outcome. This does mean that he may be spending his days off in court testifying against his cousin. Sucart's court appointed attorney, Edward O'Donnell IV, seems to think it is likely adding "They are not allies, that's for sure, or friends." They are trying to prove that Sucart arranged meetings between Bosch and ARod and received a cut of the payments that ARod made to Bosch. 

Look, I'm not saying that ARod should have caved and paid Sucart. It seems a little strange on his part as well. All I am saying is that his cousin is quite the "character," and I do not mean that as a compliment. Granted it takes balls to say "Pay me or I'll squeal," because under all of the jargon, the ultimatum reads loud and clear. As always, BYB will keep you up-to-date.

--Erica Morales BYB Senior Writer 

Twitter: @e_morales1804

 

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