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Jurors were selected Tuesday in the federal court trial of former Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig, who is accused of lying to investigators about his suspected involvement in an illegal sports betting operation. The 35-year-old Puig, who spent six seasons with the Dodgers, is charged with obstruction of justice and making false statements to federal investigators. Puig last played Major League Baseball in 2019, most recently with Cincinnati and Cleveland. He also played in South Korea, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. Athletes Jan 19 Trial to start for ex-Dodger Yasiel Puig in sports betting case MLB Nov 14, 2022 Ex-MLB Star Yasiel Puig to Plead Guilty to Lying in Illegal Gambling Case The panel of 12 jurors and two alternates was expected to return to the courtroom Tuesday afternoon after a recess. Puig was in the downtown Los Angeles courtroom for the proceedings. Opening statements were expected to begin later Tuesday. Puig’s legal team Waymaker LLP said in a statement that “Puig is finally getting his day in court and looks forward to presenting the full story.” The federal charges against Cuban-born Puig stem from a 2017 investigation into an illegal gambling business run by ex-minor league pitcher Wayne Nix. The investigation into the 49-year-old Newport Coast resident’s actions to launder illicit proceeds and hide income from the Internal Revenue Service led authorities to Puig, according to federal prosecutors. In May 2019, federal investigators said Puig started placing the illegal bets. By June 2019, Puig owed Nix’s gambling operation $282,000 for sports gambling losses, federal prosecutors said. From July 4, 2019 to September 29, 2019, Puig placed 899 additional bets on tennis, football and basketball games through betting websites, prosecutors said. Puig was interviewed by investigators as part of the larger investigation in January 2022. It was during that interview that Puig lied several times, prosecutors said. He denied all knowledge of the Nix gambling business and persons participating in it, authorities said. Puig and prosecutors reached a plea deal in August 2022, but he reneged on the agreement weeks later, leading to the current charges. He had agreed to plead guilty to one count of making false statements and pay a fine of at least $55,000. “I want to clear my name,” Puig said in a statement at the time. “I never should have agreed to plead guilty to a crime I did not commit.” In August 2025, Puig posted a statement on X that included: “This story isn’t over yet, and you weren’t told the full story the first time.” If convicted on all charges, Puig could face 10 years or more in prison. “This case is strange in the sense that Puig doesn’t deny he was a big gambler,” said NBCLA legal analyst Royal Oakes. “He placed hundreds of bets and lost almost $300,000, but he is being charged with lying to the feds when they asked about his contacts with bookies.” Nix pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to operate an illegal sports gambling business and filing a false tax return. He is awaiting a sentencing date. If you or someone you know has a gambling addiction, please call the National Council on Problem Gambling at 1-800-522-4700 to speak to a counselor. Help is also available via an online peer support forum at www.gamtalk.org, and additional resources can be found at NCPG website.

A judge has ordered that actor Timothy Busfield be released from jail during a detention hearing on child sex abuse charges. The order Tuesday by state district court Judge David Murphy is linked to accusations that Busfield inappropriately touched a minor while working as a director on the set of the series “The Cleaning Lady.” The judge ordered the defendant released on his own recognizance, pending trial. Busfield will be supervised upon release by a pretrial service in Albuquerque, and can leave the state to live at home, the judge said. Busfield, an Emmy Award-winning actor who is known for appearances in “The West Wing,” “Field of Dreams” and “Thirtysomething,” was ordered held without bond last week at his first court appearance. Busfield called the allegations lies in a video shared before he turned himself in. Celebrity News Jan 13 Actor Timothy Busfield turns himself in amid child sex abuse allegations Actors Jan 10 Actor Timothy Busfield accused of child sex abuse in New Mexico At the hearing Tuesday, Busfield was handcuffed and dressed in an orange jail uniform at the hearing in a New Mexico state district court, while wife and actor Melissa Gilbert watched from the court gallery. Gilbert was tearful while exiting the courtroom after the judge ordered Busfield’s release. Gilbert, who played Laura Ingalls in the 1970s to ’80s TV series “Little House on the Prairie,” is on the list of potential witnesses submitted ahead of the hearing. Albuquerque police issued a warrant for Busfield’s arrest earlier this month on two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse. A criminal complaint alleges the acts occurred on the set of the series “The Cleaning Lady.” According to the criminal complaint, an investigator with the police department says a child reported Busfield touched him on private areas over his clothing on one occasion when he was 7 years old and another time when he was 8. The boy’s twin brother told authorities he was also touched by Busfield, but did not specify where. He said he didn’t say anything because he didn’t want to get in trouble. On Monday, Busfield’s attorneys submitted two brief audio recordings of initial police interviews in which the children say Busfield did not touch them in private areas. The attorneys in a court filing argue that the complaint characterizes the interviews as a failure to disclose abuse, but an “unequivocal denial is materially different from a mere absence of disclosure.” According to the criminal complaint, one of the boys disclosed during a therapy session that he was inappropriately touched by the show’s director. Those records were obtained by police during the investigation. Arguing Tuesday for Busfield’s continued detention, Assistant District Attorney Savannah Brandenburg-Koch called evidence of abuse against Busfield strong and specific. “The boys’ allegations are supported by medical findings and by their therapist,” Brandenburg-Koch said. “Their accounts were specific and not exaggerated.” She also described a documented pattern of sexual misconduct, abuse of authority and grooming behavior by Busfield over the past three decades. Prosecutors also say witnesses have expressed fear regarding retaliation and professional harm. “GPS is not going to tell this court if he is around children or talking to witnesses,” Brandenburg-Koch said. Busfield’s attorneys have argued that the allegations emerged only after the boys lost their role in the TV show, creating a financial and retaliatory motive. The filings detailed what the attorneys said was a history of fraud by both the boys’ father and mother. They cited an investigation by Warner Bros. into the allegations that found them unfounded. Busfield also submitted letters vouching for his character, and his attorneys say he passed an independent polygraph test. Legal experts say New Mexico is among a few states that allow polygraph evidence in…

L’épiscopat ivoirien a ouvert le mardi 20 janvier les travaux de sa 128e Assemblée plénière ordinaire par une messe solennelle célébrée à la paroisse Saint-Paul de la Cité, dans le diocèse de San Pedro. Présidant cette eucharistie, Mgr Marcellin Yao Kouadio, président de la Conférence épiscopale, a interpellé les consciences sur certaines dérives contemporaines de l’exercice du pouvoir politique Tout lire  

L'engagement de la «Compagnie de couture», une réalité née à Dnipro et composée aujourd'hui de femmes de différentes parties du monde qui, à titre gracieux, confectionnent des vêtements adaptés aux civils et aux soldats blessés dans le conflit et pour lutter contre les températures rigoureuses de l'hiver. Kseniia Samoilych, l'une des créatrices de l'initiative: «Nous avons à cœur la dignité et le soin des personnes». Tout lire  

Le rituel s'est déroulé dans la chapelle Urbain VIII du Palais apostolique. La laine des deux animaux, bénis mercredi 21 janvier dans la basilique romaine dédiée à la martyre, sera utilisée pour confectionner les palliums des nouveaux archevêques métropolitains. Tout lire