Former MLB slugger Raul Mondesi was under house arrest for several years after he was convicted of corruption charges related to his time as mayor of the Dominican Republic, but he is now free.
According to Steve Henson of the Los Angeles Times, a Dominican court sentenced Mondesi to six years and nine months in jail on Friday. Since Mondesi had already been under house arrest, a deal was made with the prosecution to consider his prison sentence satisfied.
Mondesi served as the mayor of San Cristobal, Dominican Republic — his hometown — from 2010-16. In 2017, he was convicted of defrauding more than $6 million during his time in office and sentenced to prison. Mondesi was also barred from holding public office for 10 years and ordered to pay a fine of $1.3 million.
Mondesi was placed under house arrest during the years-long appeals process for his case. In 2020, prosecutors petitioned the court to send the 53-year-old to prison after he allegedly violated the terms of his house arrest. That never happened, and the Court of Appeals of San Cristobal ordered a new trial in 2023, which concluded with Friday’s sentence.
Mondesi played in MLB from 1993-2005, most notably for the Dodgers from 1993-99. During his time with L.A., he won NL Rookie of the Year, was named to an All-Star team and won two Gold Gloves. Mondesi also played for the Blue Jays, Yankees, Diamondbacks, Pirates, Angels and Braves across his 13 MLB seasons.
