SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Former Major League Baseball outfielder Raúl Mondesi was sentenced Friday by a Dominican court to six years and nine months in jail and fined $507,000 for corruption during his time as mayor in the city of San Cristobal.
Prosecutors accused the 53-year-old Mondesi of embezzling $5 million during his time as mayor between 2010 and 2016. The sentence came after a deal with the prosecutors' office.
Mondesi, whose son Adalberto Mondesi was a big league shortstop, spent six years under house arrest, which means his sentence has already been completed.
With the Los Angeles Dodgers, Mondesi won the NL Rookie of the Year award in 1994 and played in the All-Star Game one year later. The Dominican was in MLB for 13 seasons and won two Gold Gloves.
Mondesi's career also includes stints with the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbecks, Pittsburgh Pirates, Los Angeles Angels and Atlanta Braves. He finished his career with an average of .273, 271 homers and 860 RBIs.
Mondesi's political career started in San Cristobal, which he represented as a lawmaker between 2006 and 2010. After his time as mayor, he bid for the senate but failed.
Dominican prosecutors brought several charges against Mondesi, including falsification of documents, criminal association and malfeasance.
Adalberto, his son, started his career with the Kansas City Royals in the World Series they won in 2015. He is currently a free agent after he suffered a knee injury in March 2023.
This story has been corrected to show Raúl Mondesi's career batting average was .273.
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FILE- Anaheim Angels center fielder Raul Mondesi catches a ball hit by Boston Red Sox's Kevin Youkilis in the second inning at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif., in this June 1, 2004 photo. Former baseball player Raúl Mondesi was sentenced Friday, July 5, 2024, by a Dominican court to six years and nine months in jail and fined $507,000 for corruption during his time as mayor in the city of San Cristobal. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson, File)
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazilians began voting in the first round of local elections on Sunday for mayors, deputy mayors and councilors in the country’s 5,569 municipalities.
In Sao Paulo, three mayoral candidates are running neck-and-neck, including incumbent Ricardo Nunes, left-wing lawmaker Guilherme Boulos and self-help guru turned far-right politician Pablo Marçal. A runoff is scheduled for Oct. 27.
Much of the attention leading up to Sunday’s vote has been on Brazil ’s biggest city, where the race has been marred by episodes of violence involving Marçal.
Last month, José Luiz Datena, a former TV presenter turned candidate, slammed Marçal with a metal chair during a televised debate following references to allegations of sexual misconduct. In a later debate, an aide to Marçal thumped an adversary’s counterpart, resulting in a bloody face.
Marçal sparked more controversy on Friday, when he published on social media a falsified medical report indicating cocaine use by Boulos. The document was widely debunked by local media that pointed to inconsistencies including the fact that it was signed by a doctor who had passed away.
Boulos, a longtime campaigner for housing rights who is backed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, vehemently denied the veracity of the document. On Saturday, a judge sitting on Sao Paulo’s electoral court ordered the suspension of Marçal’s Instagram account for 48 hours and deemed that there are “indications of various offenses under the Electoral Code.”
Some of former President Jair Bolsonaro ’s political base has been drawn to Marçal, enthralled by his fiery rhetoric, although the far-right leader is supporting Nunes.
In Rio de Janeiro, incumbent Eduardo Paes is hoping to avoid a second-round runoff. Polls indicated until recently that was possible. But his principal challenger Alexandre Ramagem has steadily climbed in the polls in recent weeks, rendering the outcome of Sunday’s vote uncertain.
Ramagem, the former chief of Brazil’s intelligence agency under Bolsonaro, is being investigated as part of a wider probe into alleged spying on political opponents. He has denied the accusations.
Bolsonaro is backing Ramagem, and his ascent in the polls is widely attributed to the former president's campaigning on his behalf.
More than 155 million Brazilians are eligible to vote. Forty-three percent of the electorate is in the southeastern region, where Rio and Sao Paulo are located. Women make up around 52% of voters.
Nearly 1,000 transgender politicians are running Sunday in every one of Brazil’s 26 states, according to the nation’s electoral court, which is tracking them for the first time. The number of candidacies has tripled since the last local elections four years ago, when trans rights group Antra mapped them.
Polls opened at 8 a.m. Brasilia time and close at 5 p.m. (2000 GMT).
A second round will be held in municipalities with more than 200,000 registered voters if none of the candidates for mayor obtains an absolute majority.
Leaflets for candidates in the municipal elections lie scattered in the Rocinha community of Rio de Janeiro, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)
Former President Jair Bolsonaro, center, supports Rio de Janeiro mayoral candidate Alexandre Ramagem, right, after voting in the municipal elections, in Rio de Janeiro, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)
A supporter takes a selfie with former President Jair Bolsonaro as he accompanies Rio de Janeiro mayoral candidate Alexandre Ramagem during the municipal elections in Rio de Janeiro, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)
Tereza Domingos holds her parrot Noninho after voting in the municipal elections in the Rocinha community of Rio de Janeiro, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)
A supporter hugs former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, center, as he supports for Rio de Janeiro mayoral candidate Alexandre Ramagem during municipal elections in Rio de Janeiro, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)
A man votes in municipal elections in the Rocinha community of Rio de Janeiro, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)
Mayoral candidate Guilherme Boulos of the Socialism and Liberty Party, center, campaigns with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, right, and his running mate Marta Suplicy, left, the day before elections in Sao Paulo, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
Mayoral candidate Guilherme Boulos of the Socialism and Liberty Party, center, campaigns with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, right, and his running mate Marta Suplicy, left, the day before elections in Sao Paulo, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
Mayoral candidate Guilherme Boulos of the Socialism and Liberty Party, center, gestures to supporters as he campaigns with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, right, and his running mate Marta Suplicy, left, the day before elections in Sao Paulo, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
Mayoral candidate Guilherme Boulos of the Socialism and Liberty Party campaigns the day before elections in Sao Paulo, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, left, campaigns with mayoral candidate Guilherme Boulos of the Socialism and Liberty Party the day before elections in Sao Paulo, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
Mayoral candidate Guilherme Boulos of the Socialism and Liberty Party campaigns the day before elections in Sao Paulo, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
Mayoral candidate Guilherme Boulos of the Socialism and Liberty Party, right, campaigns with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva the day before elections in Sao Paulo, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, left, campaigns with mayoral candidate Guilherme Boulos of the Socialism and Liberty Party the day before elections in Sao Paulo, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
