- Mondesi was accused of corruption during his term as mayor of San Cristobal
- He turned his attention to politics after retiring from baseball following the 2005 season
Former MLB star Raul Mondesi was sentenced Friday by a Dominican court to six years and nine months in prison and a $507,000 fine.
Mondesi was accused of corruption while mayor of San Cristobal in the Dominican Republic, for which he was convicted in 2017.
Prosecutors accuse the 53-year-old of embezzling $5 million during his time as mayor between 2010 and 2016. The sentence was imposed after a deal with the prosecution.
However, Mondesi’s legal troubles are already behind him, as the Dominican court ruled that his prison sentence has already been served with six years of house arrest.
Prosecutors sought to send him to prison for the remainder of his sentence in 2020, saying he had violated the terms of his house arrest.
Raul Mondesi was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison by a Dominican court
However, nothing came of their petition and in 2023 the San Cristobal Court of Appeals ordered a new trial.
With the Los Angeles Dodgers, Mondesi won the NL Rookie of the Year award in 1994 and played in the All-Star Game a year later. The Dominican played 13 seasons in the MLB and won two Gold Gloves.
Mondesi also played for 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. He retired after the 2005 season and turned his attention to politics.
Mondesi’s political career began in San Cristobal, where he served as a member of parliament 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, similar to the U.S. House of Representatives.
From 2010 to 2016 he was mayor of San Cristobal, after which he attempted to be elected to the Senate, but failed.
Dominican prosecutors have charged Mondesi on several charges, including forgery of documents, criminal involvement and misconduct.
Adalberto Mondesi, his son, started 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.