- Mondesi faced corruption charges during his time as mayor of San Cristóbal
- He turned his attention to politics after retiring from baseball following the 2005 season.
Former MLB star Raúl Mondesi was sentenced Friday by a Dominican court to six years and nine months in prison and a fine of $507,000.
Mondesi was implicated in corruption charges stemming from his time as mayor of San Cristobal in the Dominican Republic, for which he was convicted in 2017.
Prosecutors accused the 53-year-old of embezzling $5 million during his time as mayor from 2010 to 2016. The sentencing came after a plea deal.
However, Mondesi’s legal troubles are now behind him, as the Dominican court ruled that his prison sentence had already been served with his six years of house arrest.
Prosecutors had sought to send him to prison for the remainder of his sentence in 2020, alleging he had violated the terms of his house arrest.
Raúl Mondesí was sentenced by a Dominican court to six years and nine months in prison
However, his petition was unsuccessful and in 2023 the San Cristóbal Court of Appeals ordered a new trial.
With the Los Angeles Dodgers, Mondesi won the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 1994 and played in the All-Star Game a year later. The Dominican was in the MLB for 13 seasons and won two Gold Gloves.
Mondesi’s career also includes stints with the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks, Pittsburgh Pirates, Los Angeles Angels and Atlanta Braves.
He finished his career with a .273 average, 271 home runs and 860 RBIs, retiring after the 2005 season when he turned to politics.
Mondesi’s political career began in San Cristóbal, where he served as a deputy between 2006 and 2010.
The former MLB star played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees.
After retiring from baseball, he was elected to the House of Representatives, which is similar to the U.S. House of Representatives.
He then served as mayor of San Cristóbal from 2010 to 2016, before attempting to run for the Senate but failing.
Dominican prosecutors filed several charges against Mondesi, including document forgery, criminal association and embezzlement.
Adalberto Mondesi, his son, began his career with the Kansas City Royals in the World Series they won in 2015. He is currently a free agent after suffering a knee injury in March 2023.
