Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu admitted on the stand in a Miami courtroom that he ate part of a fake passport while flying to the U.S. to cover up his illegal travel as part of a Cuban ballplayer smuggling operation. Now, I am admittedly a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan and we have no love loss with our White Sox neighbors, but it is pretty amazing that this admission (given under a guarantee of immunity) has not resulted in Abreu being dropped by MLB or the White Sox team. Indeed, at the time of immigration reforms and crackdown, this is a case of someone who knowingly used and then destroyed a fake passport to gain entry into this country.
Abreu said that he ate the fake with the false name and photo with a beer on an Air France flight. He decided to engage in the illegality so not to miss an October 2013 deadline — which would result in the loss of a $68 million contract with the White Sox. His testimony implicated the defendants in the trial of Florida-based sports agent Bartolo Hernandez and baseball trainer Julio Estrada. Both are accused of alien smuggling and conspiracy with Cuban players. However, that still leaves Abreu who, regardless of his immunity, has admitted to criminal conduct in using the illegal passport obtained in Haiti. Everyone else was indicted, including his main facilitator Amin Latouff. So he gets to just keep playing baseball in the major leagues?
The answer from the White Sox appears to be yes. After all, Abreu hit 25 home runs and drove in 100 runs last season. The team just gave him time off to testify like he was attending a family wedding. He is still on the team roster.
Were the passports US or Cuban? Which are more nutritiousr? lol
Perhaps we could trade Nancy Pelosi to a Caribbean Country in exchange for Mr. Abreu. She is well past her Prime but her pension from Congress might fund the province where she would live.
Glad to see that not all of the customers here are anti-immigration law enforcement
Say it isn’t so – Joe. So much for teaching honesty in American Sport
MLB needs to sanction him in some manner. Maybe bench him for the first half of the 2017 season? The White Sox owners and MLB execs should consider it a miracle that Jose was granted immunity from prosecution. The thing not mentioned in the article is: What is Jose’s immigration status? I take it he is a cuban national? Is he on a temporary visa?
What was it about his immigration status that made he and his handlers decide to commit a fraudulent entry into the US? And, can his immigration status be revoked? Was he given a T or U visa (given to witnesses in human trafficking and other criminal cases)?
He is an Athlete, he is winning! We have three sets of rules. Winning Athletes are above them.
Make him eat his green card and send him back to Gitmo.
Greed rules. It is sickening to me. Sigh.
He is too big to fail.
Paul, did you ever wonder how come the paleontologists have never argued that the dinosaurs were too big to fail? 😉
Ralph Adamo – some paleotologents do argue that the dinosaurs were too big to fail. There is a squabble about some of the large dinosaurs being found above the meteor dust level. Personally, I am not getting into it.
I believe that researchers use the pound of brain to pound of body index to determine the intelligence of any given animal. On that scale, as I understand it, dinosaurs failed miserably!
DDT will understand. He built his entire life on one set of rules for the rich and whatever for the rest. Say hello to pollution, destruction of the environment, etc. Cuz, “The smell of pollution is just the sweet smell of success and more billions in the pockets of the fat cats.” The fat cats can afford unlimited bottled water and to live anywhere. Flint, here we come.
Oh he just broke laws related to immigration. And we all know those laws aren’t really laws.
I have eaten worse on an airplane for far less than $68,000,000. His defense should be that the airplane food was so bad he had to consume the passport.
Novel, but it just might succeed! lol
The Black Sox are preparing for 2019, their centennial.
JT says: “Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu admitted on the stand in a Miami courtroom that he ate part of a fake passport while flying to the U.S. to cover up his illegal travel as part of a Cuban ballplayer smuggling operation. . . . [T]his is a case of someone who knowingly used and then destroyed a fake passport to gain entry into this country.”
Say it ain’t so, Joe!
Or, I guess we’ll have to update this: Say it ain’t that way, Jose!
Maybe Obama’s rescission of the ridiculous special immigration privileges previously enjoyed by Cuban “refugees” will end a lot of this stupidity?
They made edible drones and now there is a demand for edible passports !
One law for some and another for the rich. It is never a pretty sight.
He makes money enough to support himself and entertain the throng, so they’ll let him stay, illuminating the double standard and the harsh lack of equal protection.
The allegation is a crime with a sentence of up to 15 years, by the way:
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1543