Guardians' $2.8M Prospect Suspended by MLB over Crazy False Identity Plot
MLB says the scheme used a younger brother’s identity and falsified records, and the Guardians ended a $2.8 million agreement.
- On Friday, Major League Baseball suspended prospect David Severino after uncovering an elaborate age-fraud plot. Investigations revealed the player, whose real name is Daury David Severino Damaso, is actually two years older than his listed age.
- Trainer Francisco Nieves allegedly orchestrated the deception by creating a false identity, birth certificate, and tombstone for the player's supposedly deceased younger brother. These efforts aimed to manipulate the prospect's age to secure an advantage with MLB clubs.
- The Cleveland Guardians terminated a $2.8 million pre-deal with Severino after the fraud surfaced. Prior to cancellation, one executive stated, "There's no way this kid is the age he says he is," expressing skepticism scouts shared.
- Trainer John Pereyra, who paid $20,000 for Severino's rights, said he conducted his own investigation after initial suspicions arose. Pereyra expressed shock at the scheme's extent, noting, "I did my own investigation," to verify the player's background.
- This incident highlights ongoing challenges with age fraud in the Dominican Republic, a practice MLB seeks to curb. The league may implement stricter regulations or an international draft during future Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations to prevent similar schemes.
15 Articles
15 Articles
Guardians minor leaguer suspended over bizarre age fraud and fake death certificate
A Cleveland Guardians minor leaguer has been suspended over an elaborate age hoax that involved a fraudulent identity and even a fake death. The Guardians agreed to a preliminary $2.8 million deal with a top Dominican prospect named David Severino last December. The organization was under the belief that Severino was 13 or 14 years … The post Guardians minor leaguer suspended over bizarre age fraud and fake death certificate appeared first on La…
MLB Suspends Prized Dominican Prospect Who Faked His Death In Age-Cheating Scheme
David Severino was once one of the most prized young prospects in all of baseball after signing $2.8 million pre-deal with the Cleveland Guardians in December that would see him officially sign in 2029. There’s just one big problem. David Severino does not exist. The person who does exist is Daury David Severino Damaso, and Major League Baseball suspended him on […] The post MLB Suspends Prized Dominican Prospect Who Faked His Death In Age-Cheat…
Prospect David Severino Fakes His Death to Scam $2.8 Million Out of Guardians
Major League Baseball has suspended a once-prized Dominican prospect after investigators uncovered an elaborate scheme to make him appear nearly two years younger than he is, including a fictitious death certificate and a planted gravesite tombstone, sources familiar with the investigation told ESPN. The player had been known to teams as David Severino, a switch-hitting infielder. His real name is Daury David Severino Damaso. He was born April 2…
Suspended MLB prospect faked death as part of shocking $2.8 million scandal
A Dominican tombstone declares the death of Daury Severino Damaso at 2-years-old due to respiratory illness in 2012. The only problem? Damaso is very much alive — and until recently was a heralded international baseball prospect going by the name of David Severino in a foiled $2.8 million plot uncovered in an MLB investigation, according...
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