AROD'S COUSIN IS SENTENCED & THAT'S THAT

Yuri Sucart, cousin to Alex Rodriguez, and one of the Biogenesis frontmen was sentenced Thursday to seven months in prison.

Of the eight accused, including Tony Bosch, Sucart was the last to be sentenced. Included in his sentencing will be six months home arrest after his seven months prison time, and a $5,000 fine. There is also the potential of deportation.

Sucart had been the personal assistant to ARod for some time. But it seemed that their relationship had been less than amicable of late. There were some questionable reports from Sucart and his wife about ARod, and a letter from Sucart's lawyer demanding that ARod pay him for his silence in the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Shorad Motiani said Sucart was one of the most important players in the Biogenesis case (HERE). Not only did he recruit ARod, but other MLB and high school ball players. He'd supplied these players with steroids, and was paid for these services. Sucart made a poor attempt at an apology by saying he did it "out of ignorance and necessity."

This Biogenesis case has been on going for nearly two years. The sentencing of Sucart brings the entire thing to an end...we hope.

--Erica Morales BYB Senior Writer 
Twitter: @e_morales1804

   



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AROD'S CUZ TO PLEAD GUILTY

And so the tale FINALLY begins to close. Yuri Sucart is expected to plead guilty when he goes to court this Friday, a source says.

Sucart is one of the eight arrested in August 2014 in connection with the Biogenesis Anti-Aging Clinic. He is also the final defendant in the case by the DEA to bring down the suppliers to plead guilty. Anthony Bosch, who plead guilty, was sentenced last month to four years in prison.

Of course this means that Alex Rodriguez, Sucart's cousin and former employer, will not have to testify against Sucart in court. ARod didn't want to talk about the case. He told reporters "Guys, we have so many good things to talk about. But that's not one of them." ARod had an agreement with the prosecutors that would shield him from any potential troubles, so long as he provided full and truthful statements to the investigators about his involvement with Biogenesis. Sucart's trial was scheduled to start April 6th, when the Yankees take on the Blue Jays at their home opener. ARod was expected to be called in as a witness.

Sucart was originally charged with conspiring to distribute testosterone, and five counts of distributing testosterone. Punishable by  a total of 20 years in prison. A tentative plea agreement called for all but one of the charges to be dropped. The Prosecution are now seeking eight months in prison, while his attorney, Ed O'Donnell, will try to get four month of house arrest due to Sucart's recent health issues.

With Sucart's guilty plea, we may be able to finally bring this ordeal to an end. Let's keep in mind that the 13 MLB players that were suspended in connection to Biogenesis were not the only athlete's who received treatment or were otherwise coerced by these guys.They went after High School students as well. And while MLB players are grown men, who should know better, High School students are children. Young and impressionable, and sometimes really not too bright. They make bad decisions, especially if someone is dangling a magic solution over their heads to become the next big thing in sports. That is the part of this case that has bugged me the most.

While our focus has really been ARod, as he is a Yankee, the idea that they went after children and gave them drugs just does not sit well with me.

Personally, I think that Sucart's guilty plea is long over due. He seemed the only person in connection with this case holding onto some delusion of innocence. The entire Biogenesis scandal has been a stain in sports, and I will be glad to see it finally come to an end.

--Erica Morales BYB Senior Writer 
Twitter: @e_morales1804

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ANTHONY BOSCH SENTENCED

Anthony Bosch, the owner and operator of the defunct Coral Gables Biogenesis Clinic, has officially been sentenced to four years in federal prison reports ESPN.

Bosch, who posed as a doctor and supplied steroid injections and other performance enhancing drugs to professional baseball players and high school athletes, had sought leniency. He cooperated in the investigation in hopes of a lowered sentence, but US District Judge Darrin Gayles refused. "The defendant was the most culpable in this conspiracy," the judge said. Gayles seemed to take particular issue with the steroid injection of high school athletes. "He was the master mind," Gayles said. "He was the one who recruited others to assist him."

Bosch, who plead guilty in October, is the sixth person charged in the Biogenesis case. Both he and Alex Rodriguez are expected to testify if Yuri Sucart, and ex-University of Miami pitching Coach Lazaro Collazo, go to trial.

Guy Lewis, Bosch's lawyer, did try for a lesser sentence. The aim was under three years, but Gayles refused. Lewis' argument was that Bosch had been cooperative throughout the investigation. Along with his four year prison sentence, he will get three years supervised release.

--Erica Morales BYB Senior Writer 
Twitter: @e_morales1804

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AROD'S CONFESSION: WHAT COMES NEXT

So at long last Alex Rodriguez' confession has come to light. On BYB I wrote about how the Miami Herald broke the news, telling us that ARod had confessed in a DEA conference room in January in exchange for immunity. His confession will be used in the case against his cousin, Yuri Sucart, and the other co-defendants in the Biogenesis case. Anthony Bosch, who plead guilty, is awaiting sentencing set for December. Sucart, on the other hand, has plead not guilty and his trial will commence February 9th, in Miami.

This confession brings up many questions. Is ARod guilty of obstruction of justice and perjury? Could the MLB seek further punishment? Frank Quintero Jr, attorney to former University of Miami pitching coach, Lazaro Collazo, seems to think that ARod should face further punishment. According to the Daily News, Quintero said:

"From the newspaper articles that have been published, going way back to January of 2013, all the way to the present, plus the review of the discovery in this case, there is no doubt that some of the major-league ballplayers, not all of  them, committed some very serious crimes."

"The charges that my client is facing pale in comparison to these alleged crimes."

"The crimes that have been reported and the crimes that we've seen evidence of - bribing witnesses, suborning perjury, interfering with a state and federal criminal investigation, obstruction of justice, tampering with evidence - all these charges go to the core of the justice system. And the government, for lack of a better term, is saying, 'No harm, no foul.'"

Quintero's claims about ARod sound very much like what former Florida Health investigator, Jerome Hill, accused the MLB of doing. In a statement last month, the former investigator outright said "MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL HINDERED MY INVESTIGATION." Hill went on to tell the Miami New Times all about his warnings to the MLB that purchasing certain documents would impede upon the investigation he was building to take down Bosch, and the others. Remember, both Bud Selig and Rob Manfred denied having any knowledge that the documents they procured were stolen. The MLB also worked out a deal with the DEA on behalf of Bosch.

Quintero's client, Collazo, is one of the six co-defendants in the case built by the DEA to bring down those responsible for distributing PEDs to athletes, from high school students to major league players. He feels his client is being unjustly punished. I tend to disagree, however. If Collazo is part of the distribution ring, he most certainly deserves the prison time he may be facing. Collazo currently faces charges of distribution of testosterone and HGH. He is believed to have obtained HGH for minors, and even injected a minor in June of 2012. It brings to mind the question of whether part of the reason that Collazo is facing "unfair punishment" is due to the statements provided to the DEA by ARod? 

The agreement signed by ARod, his former attorney, Joseph Tacopina, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Sullivan, guaranteed that their admissions won't be used against them in later proceedings. Of course, he isn't only talking about ARod. He means all of the MLB players that received immunity from the DEA, including Nelson Cruz, Francisco Cervelli, Melky Cabrera, Ryan Braun and a few others.

Here's the thing, we do not know what statements the others have given. Did the confession given by the other MLB players corroborate ARod's confession? Did any of the others implicate ARod with their confessions? And what is the likelihood that the only common thread these players had to Bosch is Sucart? 

I will say it again, it is unlikely that ARod is a target in this case. The DEA wants the suppliers, not the users. The users are only a means to an end. Hence the statements, and the immunity. They want to take down Bosch, Sucart, and the others in connection to defunct Coral Gables Biogenesis clinic. But, could the MLB use the confession against ARod? His confession, provided it is in sync with the confessions of the others, leaves him safe from facing further legal troubles. He has already served his suspension for the PED usage he confessed to, so it is unlikely that the MLB will pursue that further. The question is, if ARod is guilty of everything that is being speculated, does this immunity agreement mean he is in the clear for further legal troubles?

This is all provided that the others confessions do not implicate ARod. If, for some reason, the other confessions do in fact reveal some evidence that ARod himself did not offer to the DEA, then we could conceivably see another long tortuous legal battle for ARod. In this case, he could possibly face  charges for perjury, obstruction of justice, and a laundry list of other charges. It may then also be possible that the MLB and the Yankees could meet with ARod to discuss a settlement for the remaining $61 million on his contract.

This entire thing is becoming trickier by the second. There are a lot of "what if's." A ton of questions and not a lot of answers. Could ARod face further legal troubles? Of course, but that isn't set in stone. There are a lot of factors that come into play. Basically, it's a lot of sit and wait.

There is a lot of information to give, as this story is constantly growing. As always, BYB will keep you posted.

--Erica Morales BYB Senior Writer 

Twitter: @e_morales1804

 




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REPORT: AROD CONFESSES TO USING PEDs

Well... there you have it, folks! Nearly two years after the intial allegations, Alex Rodriguez has admitted to using PEDs recieved from Anthony Bosch.

According to the Miami Herald the confession came back in January in a DEA conference room in return for immunity. According to the statements ARod did in fact meet with Bosch through meetings arranged by his cousin, Yuri Sucart. Remember that while Bosch plead guilty to distribution of illegal human growth hormones to athletes, including high school students and MLB players, Sucart has plead not guilty and is awaiting trial.

The statements include admissions of being injected in his stomach, under the pretense that these injections would help with eye sight, hair growth, sleep, weight and muscle recovery. He also admitted to receiving testosterone cream and lozenges laced with testosterone, aka "gummies." ARod also said that Bosch gave him tips on how to beat MLB drug test.

Remember this case is now with the DEA. They are looking for the suppliers, not the users. Recently, it came to light that ARod may have paid his cousin to remain silent. This is also in the DEA statements. With this information being released, we can only guess that ARod will be testifying against his cousin, Sucart. If the DEA gave ARod immunity, then this information could be used against Sucart, and the other co-defendants in the Biogenesis trial. ARod is only one of the players granted immunity. The MLB handed down suspensions for 14 players, most of which were granted immunity, including Ryan Braun.

ARod has already served his suspension, and will not face any more punishment from the MLB. ARod sustained throughout the entire Arbitration hearings that the entire thing was a witch hunt. While he was in fact guilty, I have stated time and again that the punishment should fit the crime, and the amount of games he was suspended for did not reflect that. Remember, he is technically a first time offender. Still, his suspension has been served and no further punishment will be handed down. He has been reinstated, and will join the Yankees in the 2015 season.

This case is far from over. BYB will keep you up to date.

--Erica Morales BYB Senior Writer 

Twitter: @e_morales1804

 

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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

 

You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in history. Now shop at the Bleeding Yankee Blue store!  Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and LIKE Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook!