Yuniesky Betancourt, a former MLB shortstop known for his time with the Seattle Mariners, Kansas City Royals, and Milwaukee Brewers, was arrested last week in Miami. He has been charged with insurance fraud and staging a fake car accident in a scheme that also involved three other individuals.
Authorities say Betancourt, now 42, was part of a group that falsely claimed to be involved in a car crash on December 6, 2022. Along with co-defendants Abel Vera, Nancy Mercedes Pena, and Maura Perez, Betancourt allegedly reported the incident to both police and Kemper Insurance in an attempt to collect compensation.
Florida’s Chief Financial Officer, Jimmy Patronis, condemned the act. “It doesn’t matter how clever you think your scheme may be, if you commit fraud in Florida, you will be caught,” he stated. “Staging accidents is incredibly dangerous and drives up auto insurance costs for everyone.”
An investigation revealed that no accident occurred, despite all four individuals filing injury claims and seeking physical therapy for injuries they never actually sustained. Clinics involved billed over $61,000 to Kemper Insurance, with an additional $22,800 paid out for therapy charges.
Betancourt, originally from Cuba, defected in 2003 and debuted with the Mariners in 2005. He played in the MLB until 2013, later joining leagues in Japan and Mexico, and notably became the first player to return to the Cuban national team after defecting. Over his career, Betancourt earned close to $16 million, according to Baseball-Reference.
If convicted, each of the accused could face up to 10 years in prison.
