Prosectors are putting their star witness on the stand on Wednesday in their latest effort to prove former Dodgers star Yasiel Puig committed federal crimes.
Donnie Kadokawa was called to testify early in the morning as the second day of Puig’s trial got underway in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom.
Kadokawa said he met Puig at a Dodger game and the two later got close in January 2019 after they attended a youth baseball camp in Hawaii.
Kadokawa testified he went on to become the go-between for Puig and bookies, including Wayne Nix, a former minor league pitcher accused of running a massive illegal gambling operation.
Kadokawa said Puig would place bets to him through text messages, and after just a few weeks of making wagers, he went down tens of thousands of dollars.
Prior to the questioning of Kadokawa, Puig’s agent, Lisette Carnet, told The Post she was certain prosecutors were going to use Kadokawa to try to paint Puig “as this very savvy gambler,” though she claimed the reality was he took advantage of Puig.
She also alleged that Kadokawa “took a deal to basically say that Yasiel was doing something wrong.”
Prosecutors have alleged for several years that Puig placed nearly 1,000 illegal bets in 2019 and then lied to investigators about it in 2022.
The feds claim Puig made multiple false statements to them during an interview about it all. They also allege he later sent an audio message where he could be heard admitting to lying to the investigators.
Puig has been charged with one count of obstruction of justice and two counts of making false statements. If convicted, Puig faces significant prison time.
Puig once cut a deal with prosecutors to close out the case in November 2022, when he agreed to plead guilty to lying to federal investigators, but he later backed out of the pact.
“I want to clear my name,” he said after reneging on the agreement. “I never should have agreed to plead guilty to a crime I did not commit.”
Court documents show Puig’s trial is expected to last a little over a week. Kadokawa is anticipated to testify throughout Wednesday. Puig showed up for the proceedings in a tan suit jacket with a similar-colored turtle neck.
Puig, 35, made his MLB debut with the Dodgers in 2013 and spent several years with the team. He wrapped up his career with the Reds and then Cleveland in 2019.
He later played professionally in South Korea as well as the Mexican League.