Former Los Angeles Dodgers star Raul Mondesi was hit with a serious punishment this week after a shocking misuse of power while serving as the mayor of his hometown.
During the 1990s, outfielder Raul Mondesi was one of the anchors of the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup. In five of his seven seasons, he hit 24 or more home runs (30 or more three times), always hovered around 100 runs batted in, once stole 32 bases, and was a two-time Gold Glove winner.
Looking at his stats now, it is shocking he only reached one All-Star game — in 1995 — because he would be a perennial contender for the summer classic today. That is why he is fondly remembered former member of the roster. However, he has forever tarnished his image in the minds of Dodgers and baseball fans.
This week, Spanish-language outlet Listin Diario reported that the 53-year-old was recently sentenced to six years in prison in his native Dominican Republic. The crime you ask? Mondesi was found guilty of several charges, including embezzlement, dating back to his term as mayor of his hometown, San Cristóbal, from 2010 to 2016.
Mondesi is a native of San Cristobal and was drafted straight out of Liceo Manual Maria Valencia High School.
- Raul Mondesi stats (Dodgers): 7 seasons, .288 AVG, .334 SLG, .504 OBP, 163 HR, 518 RBI, 543 R, 148 SB
The sentence was part of a plea deal with local prosecutors after Mondesi had previously served six years of house arrest following being booked on charges of corruption and mishandling of public funds in 2017. The Los Angeles Dodgers alum was also fined 30 million pesos — or $500,000.
Also Read: Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani would ‘likely be amenable’ to giving up pitching for good
Some of the original charges against the 13-year MLB veteran included crimes of conspiracy of officials, falsification of documents, use of false documents, embezzlement, and crimes of mixing in affairs incompatible with the quality of official and association of criminals.
After leaving the Dodgers in 1999, he played three seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays followed by stints with the New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, and two other clubs. He retired from the league in 2005.
