Alleged Liaison Between Clase, Ortiz, Dominican Gambling Ring Indicted

An alleged co-conspirator who supposedly directed the pitch-rigging scheme of former Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz was indicted on Thursday in the Eastern District of New York.

In a superseding indictment, Robinson Vasquez Germosen, a citizen of the Domincan Republic living in Bronx County, New York, is accused by federal prosecutors of being a key link between gamblers and the pitchers, who are scheduled to stand trial on May 4.

Vasquez is charged with one count of wire fraud conspiracy, punishable by up to 20 years in prison. He accused of defrauding sportsbook platforms, obtaining money under false pretenses, and funneling money to unnamed gamblers in the Dominican Republic electronically from May 2023 to June 2025.

In an indictment laden with links between the parties, Vasquez is cast as the intermediary, discussing details with gamblers and coordinating with the pitchers when they would intentionally underperform on certain pitches to win prop bets by either missing the strike zone or manipulating their velocity. In Clase’s case, these manipulations allegedly happened in up to 48 games.

Both 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.

Ortiz’s attorneys have asked for a separate trial because he is accused of rigging fewer pitches in fewer games.

Indictment details of alleged scheme

The charging documents detail thousands of alleged transactions, most in increments of a few thousand dollars, but one for $43,000.

Prosecutors described thousands of text messages between Vasquez and Clase, including a screenshot of a video call (above) between the pitcher and one of the gamblers.

The indictment also details the process of Vasquez and Clase allegedly developing a coded text message system using the words “rooster” and “chicken” to describe when and how they would rig pitches.

Clase’s attorneys have subsequently insisted that those messages regarded actual fowl, as the pitcher owns cockfighting birds in the Dominican Republic, where the practice is legal. Prosecutors countered that assertion in the superseding indictment, writing:

“As part of the investigation, I know that Clase gambled on rooster fights, which is legal and popular in the Dominican Republic. I have also identified several text messages where Clase appears to make legitimate references to roosters. However, based on my familiarity with the investigation, including my review of several electronic devices seized pursuant to judicially-authorized warrants, I have determined that this particular exchange refers to a fixed pitch based on the context of the exchange and my review of Clase’s messages with Bettor-1 around this time.”

The charging documents further cement the relationships between the pitchers and Vasquez, and therefore the gambling ring, by asserting that he attended Guardians games approximately 28 times with tickets provided by the pitchers under the “family” and “friends” designations.