Cleveland Guardians player Emmanuel Clase leaving Brooklyn federal court in New York City in November. (AP Photo / Yuki Iwamura)
NEW YORK CITY — Minutes before their latest appearance in federal court Tuesday, Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz — at one point teammates on the Cleveland Guardians, now co-defendants on charges brought against them by federal prosecutors in the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York — shook hands and smiled at one another across the table in the courtroom. Their reunion was likely unwelcome, but at least for this moment.
Then they sat down at that same table, flanked by their own teams of attorneys, and listened as a federal judge outlined how their case would proceed. Trial for Clase and Ortiz is set to begin in early May, with jury selection on May 4. The trial could begin as early as that week or by May 11, depending on the schedule of Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto, who is overseeing the case.
Clase and Ortiz pleaded not guilty last month to charges that they were involved in an illegal sports gambling ring in which both allegedly threw pitches for balls or at a lower velocity to help bettors win wagers on them. Clase, according to prosecutors, is also alleged to have pulled Ortiz into the scheme.
Prosecutors turned over more than one terabyte of discovery to Clase this week and are expected to hand over the same to Ortiz soon. The information has been taken from search warrants and personal devices, though a federal prosecutor told the judge that the investigation remains ongoing.
Sean Sherman, a prosecutor for the US Attorney’s Office, said neither Clase nor Ortiz has had plea negotiations with the government to this point.
They will make their next appearance at the Brooklyn courthouse next month, but a trial date now looms. It is expected to last two weeks, according to Sherman.
Dec 2, 2025
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