Yuniesky Betancourt, a former Major League Baseball infielder, was among four individuals arrested in Florida on charges of insurance fraud.
WPLG Local 10 News reported that Betancourt appeared in a Miami-Dade court on Friday, accused of orchestrating a car accident to claim insurance money. He faces multiple felony charges including filing false insurance claims, organizing a scheme to defraud, staging an accident, and third-degree grand theft.
Following his arrest, Betancourt posted a $4,500 bond on Saturday. Alongside him, Abel Vera, Nancy Mercedes Pena, and Maura Perez were also apprehended as part of the alleged scheme targeting Kemper Insurance.
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Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis commented on the case, emphasizing the seriousness of such fraud. “It doesn’t matter how clever you think your scheme may be, if you commit fraud in Florida, you will be caught and brought to justice,” he stated in a press release. Patronis also highlighted the broader impact of such crimes, noting, “Staging accidents is incredibly dangerous and fraud like this costs every Floridian in the form of higher auto insurance premiums.”
Betancourt, who played nine seasons in the MLB with the Seattle Mariners, Kansas City Royals, and Milwaukee Brewers, had a career batting average of .261 with 80 home runs and scored 437 runs over 1,156 games. After his last MLB season with the Brewers in 2013, he briefly played in Japan and Mexico.
Despite earning approximately $18.56 million over his baseball career, according to Spotrac, and finishing with a -2.4 Wins Above Replacement due to a .285 on-base percentage, Betancourt now finds himself facing legal challenges.
The insurance company involved was reportedly billed $61,000 due to the fraudulent claims.
