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Ex-Pirates P Felipe Vazquez Sentenced to Prison for Sexually Assaulting 13-Year-Old
August 17, 2021
Felipe Vazquez, who pitched for the Washington Nationals and Pittsburgh Pirates from 2015-2019, has been sentenced to two to four years in state prison for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.
Per WPXI, in May, Vazquez was found guilty on "10 counts of sexual abuse of children, two counts of unlawful contact with a minor and one count each of statutory sexual assault, indecent sexual assault and corruption of a minor."
The 30-year-old Vazquez was also found not guilty on 10 charges of unlawful contact or communication with a minor, per Amy Hudak of WPXI.
According to Rich Cholodofsky of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Vazquez has already served 23 months in prison after being arrested in Sept. 2019, meaning he is eligible for parole in September. Regardless of whether he receives parole, after his release he will spend an additional two years on probation.
"I am struck by the victim's courage," Westmoreland County Judge Scott Mears said at sentencing. "This is a tragic situation for everyone involved."
Vazquez also faces criminal charges in Florida and Missouri in connection to this case.
Per Cholodofsky, the charges and sentencing stem from a relationship he had with the 13-year-old girl, which started in 2017 and lasted until 2019.
According to TMZ Sports, Vazquez sexually assaulted the girl in Pennsylvania in 2017 when he was 26 years old. He later "sent the girl graphic videos and photos" and made plans to have sex with her again. During the trial, Vazquez claimed he didn't know she was 13 but did not deny that he had a sexual relationship with her.
Per Mark Fischer of the New York Post, Vazquez has been on MLB’s restricted list since the arrest and hasn't been eligible since.