MLB's Miguel Sano Denies Kidnapping Allegations; Twins Investigating
June 18, 2020
Minnesota Twins third baseman Miguel Sano denied allegations that he was involved in kidnapping a man in the Dominican Republic in May.
Per La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, lawyer Odalis Ramos posted a video on Tuesday "accusing Sano and three friends of kidnapping his client, Raudy Omar Sanchez de la Cruz, beating him and threatening to hang him May 6."
Neal noted that Sano denied the accusation and told Dominican newspaper El Nuevo Diario "Sanchez de la Cruz was involved in a sexual assault of Sano's young stepbrother."
The Twins told Neal they are "aware of the allegations and trying to gather information."
El Nuevo Diario noted that Sano, who postponed a Wednesday news conference, and his three friends had been summoned to the San Pedro prosecutor’s office Tuesday but did not go "because the request came too late for him to act."
Sano accused Ramos of trying to blackmail him for $170,000 to drop the accusations, but said he intends to file a lawsuit against the lawyer for $500,000.
According to Neal, Ramos said a hearing has been scheduled for June 25.
Sano has spent his entire MLB career with the Twins. He signed with the team as an international free agent in 2009 and made his big-league debut in 2015.