Ronnie Belliard

Last updated

I'm happy because I'm going to L.A. and that team is in first place, but I'm sad because I am going to leave a lot of friends. I've been here for the last three years and I made a lot of friends. This late in the year, this wasn't in my mind. [2]

In his first at-bat as a Dodger, Belliard hit a home run against Doug Davis of the Arizona Diamondbacks. [3]

In 24 games with the Dodgers, he hit .351 with 5 home runs and took over the starting second baseman job from Orlando Hudson for the post-season.

On January 26, 2010, the Dodgers re-signed Belliard to a 1-year $850,000 contract. He played in 82 games as a part-time player for the Dodgers in 2010, hitting .216. He was designated for assignment on September 7, 2010, and then released on September 9.

New York Yankees

On February 4, 2011, Belliard agreed to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training with the New York Yankees worth $825,000. [4] He was released on March 28. [5]

Philadelphia Phillies

On March 30, 2011, Belliard agreed to a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. [6] He played in 53 games for the AAA Lehigh Valley IronPigs, hitting .251.

On June 14, 2011, Belliard announced his retirement [7]

Offseason

During the offseason, he used to play with the Tigres del Licey in the Dominican Winter League, where he was the captain of the team.

Extortion case

Federal authorities in St. Louis said a man, George Edwards, tried to get an athlete (not releasing his name, though Belliard's agent later confirmed it was the second baseman) to pay $150,000 to keep quiet about a sexual encounter with Edwards' daughter, Laura L. Edwards, which allegedly resulted in a pregnancy. [8]

Federal prosecutors only described the athlete in court as "the victim." Court papers referred only to a "John Doe" in accusing George Edwards, 48, of extortion for allegedly seeking money for silence about the player supposedly impregnating Edwards' daughter. [9]

Belliard's agent, Dominic Torres, confirmed that Belliard was the player at the center of the extortion case and provided this statement:

The events as they are told are completely unfounded. I have been working with the FBI from the onset in an attempt to apprehend this known extortionist and his daughter. In the end, my client will be vindicated and due to the continuing legal nature of this case, I have no further comments at this time. [10]

An affidavit by FBI Special Agent Dustin Sorrells said this about the case:

Laura Edwards and the athlete had an "encounter" on September 29 and she left messages for him in late October or early November. He had a friend call back. That friend's message was returned by George Edwards, who met with the friend and said his daughter was pregnant and wanted money.

The friend offered several thousand dollars. Later in November, a sports agent worked out a deal to pay $25,000 for a paternity test, and $125,000 more if the child was the athlete's.

George Edwards and a different sports agent met Jan. 5 at a hotel near Lambert Field, where the agent gave George Edwards $25,000 cash.

George Edwards admitted to hatching the scheme in court documents [11] and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Catherine Perry to one year and one day in prison. It was less than the recommended range of 21 to 27 months, based on Edwards' past criminal convictions. Perry said she considered the case's unusual circumstances. [12]

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References

  1. ↑ Belliard Is Now A Dodger washingtonpost.com
  2. ↑ Veteran Belliard traded to Dodgers mlb.com
  3. ↑ Peltz, Jim (September 1, 2009). "Dodgers' shopping spree is talk of town". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved September 1, 2009.
  4. ↑ "Yankees sign Eric Chavez and Ronnie Belliard to minor league contracts". 2011-02-05.
  5. ↑ "A message from USA TODAY NETWORK". Archived from the original on 2011-04-30. Retrieved 2011-09-06.
  6. ↑ "Phillies sign infielder Ronnie Belliard to Minors deal | phillies.com: News". Archived from the original on 2011-04-04.
  7. ↑ "themorningcall.com: The Hog Blog Blog".
  8. ↑ Ex-Cardinal Belliard named as target in extortion case nl.newsbank.com
  9. ↑ Report: Belliard an extortion target mlb.com
  10. ↑ Guilty plea entered in alleged extortion of Belliard [ permanent dead link ]sportingnews.com
  11. ↑ Guilty plea in Belliard case, extortion charges against Shiloh man are dropped in return for his plea on wire fraud nl.newsbank.com
  12. ↑ Ill. man accused of extorting player sentenced to year in prison usatoday.com
Ronnie Belliard
Ronnie Belliard2 cropped.jpg
Second baseman
Born: (1975-04-07) April 7, 1975 (age 48)
Bronx, New York, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 12, 1998, for the Milwaukee Brewers
Last MLB appearance
September 6, 2010, for the Los Angeles Dodgers
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