Federal prosecutors on Tuesday will assert their preference with the Eastern District of New York that former Cleveland pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, along with Robinson Vasquez Germosen, their alleged co-conspirator in a pitch-manipulation scheme, be tried all together.
The trial is currently scheduled for May 4.
Ortiz and Clase are charged with four counts: wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sports betting contests by bribery, and money laundering conspiracy. Both pitchers pleaded not guilty. Vasquez is charged with one count of wire fraud conspiracy.
On Feb. 5, Ortiz attorney Christos N. Georgalis sought to have his client’s case severed from Clase’s, due to “markedly different levels of culpability” in the scheme to benefit gamblers and their expected conflicting defenses.
Attorney’s for Clase on Monday filed a document of support for severing the trials, citing a desire for a speedy trial, because the former American League saves leader “will remain unable to pursue his profession until this matter is resolved.”
“The current trial date of May 4, 2026, strikes the appropriate balance between Mr. Clase’s personal and professional need to clear his name from the government’s false allegations, while allowing sufficient time to prepare. Accordingly, he objects to any continuance that would preclude him from proceeding to trial on May 4,” the document continued, with a request for expedited government turnover of discovery, because Clase speaks only Spanish.
Clase lawyer wants Vasquez tried separately
The Clase filing also requested that a recently indicted third co-conspirator and alleged gambling ring intermediary, Vasquez, be tried separately, due to potential conflicts in their defenses. A superseding indictment attaching Vasquez’s case to Clase’s and Ortiz’s noted that Vasquez informed the FBI that he was “aware of one instance of [Clase] telling someone what pitch he was going to throw ahead of time.”
Clase’s attorneys further telegraphed objections over being tried with an as-yet-unnamed fourth co-conspirator, because it could potentially slow the timeline.
“Mr. Clase is able to specifically identify Co-Defendant 4 from the superseding indictment, which alleges that Co-Defendant 4 lived with Mr. Clase during the 2023 baseball season. Mr. Clase thereby understands Co-Defendant 4 to be a foreign national, residing in his/her home country, who has not been arrested. Given the extraordinary uncertainty associated with extraditions from a foreign country, which can take years and are often unsuccessful, the interests of justice weigh heavily against any delay in Mr. Clase’s right to a speedy trial associated with the government’s efforts to seek the issuance of a provisional arrest warrant, foreign arrest, and extradition of Co-Defendant 4.”
ClasersponsetosevererequestOrtizVasquez was indicted on Feb. 13 and scheduled for arraignment on Feb. 18, but attorneys for Clase and Ortiz have asked that to be moved to coincide with a March 6 status conference, citing travel problems.
