Former Major League Baseball outfielder Yasiel Puig is facing a new obstruction of justice charge related to his involvement in an illegal sports gambling ring, per The Athletic.

In May 2019, Puig allegedly began betting on sports through a third party, which was working for an illegal sports gambling business.

Puig and his lawyer were then interviewed in January 2022, and he allegedly lied to investigators, telling them he didn't know the third party through gambling. However, Puig discussed betting with the third party "hundreds of times" through phone and text messages.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said Puig admitted to lying to investigators in a WhatApp audio message sent in March 2022.

The 32-year-old initially agreed to plead guilty to a charge of lying to investigators and pay a $55,000 fine, but he withdrew from that agreement in November 2022 and changed his plea to not guilty, saying at the time that he "never should have agreed to plead guilty to a crime I did not commit."

Puig pleaded not guilty to the obstruction of justice charge and to the felony charge of lying to investigators in Los Angeles court on Friday. A trial is set for April 25.

Puig's attorney, Keri Axel, said in a statement on Friday:

"We are disappointed that the United States Attorney's Office has further entrenched itself in its unfair prosecution of Yasiel Puig. There is no new conduct at issue: the new charge for alleged obstruction is based on the same unfounded allegations of the initial charge, all concerning a single Zoom interview. By adding the additional count, they are seeking to punish Puig for exercising his Constitutional rights and asserting the truth—that he is not guilty."

Puig spent the majority of his seven-year MLB career with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He finished second in Rookie of the Year voting in 2013 and earned an All-Star Game selection in 2014.

During the 2019 season, he split time between the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Guardians. In 861 games across seven seasons, he slashed .277/.348/.475 with 132 home runs and 415 RBI.

Following his stint in MLB, Puig signed with El Águila de Veracruz of the Mexican League in April 2021. In December of that year, he signed with the Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization.