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MLB Suspends Dominican Prospect Over Elaborate Age-Fraud Plot
Cleveland Guardians switch-hitting infield prospect David Severino has been suspended by the league after Major League Baseball uncovered an elaborate age-fraud plot that included a fictitious death and a gravesite tombstone, sources familiar with the investigation told Alden Gonzalez of ESPN. Severino's handler tried to make him appear nearly two years younger than he actually is, including faking a birth certificate to create a new identity, falsifying medical and school records, filing a fraudulent death certificate, and creating a gravesite scene. At the time the Guardians agreed in December to a $2.8 million pre-deal with Severino, they thought he was 13 or 14 years old and that the deal would be finalized in 2029, by which point he would be 17 and eligible to sign. Severino's real name is Daury David Severino Damaso, and he is 16 years old. His suspension will force him to wait an extra year to enter the international amateur market and become eligible to sign with a team. The Guardians are not facing MLB discipline.
Source: ESPN.com - Alden Gonzalez
Source: ESPN.com - Alden Gonzalez
