Alex Rodriguez ratted out fellow MLB stars to the feds in Biogenesis doping scandal, DEA documents show
Former New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez inquired about fellow MLB players in the Biogenesis doping scandal, according to newly released documents.
In 2014, Rodriguez met with two assistant U.S. Department of Justice attorneys and seven Drug Enforcement Administration agents and handed over the names of three co-stars, according to DEA documents reported by ESPN.
The documents show that Rodriguez told the FBI that Biogenesis founder Anthony Bosch had named Manny Ramirez, Ryan Braun and another All-Star player as fellow performance-enhancing drug clients.
Ramirez then served a 50-game suspension with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2009 for PED policy violations, and received a second suspension in 2011 while with the Tampa Bay Rays, but chose to retire.
He was hit with a 100-game suspension in 2011 while with the Rays, but he never served that suspension, opting to retire.
Former New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez informed on fellow MLB players in the Biogenesis doping scandal, according to newly released documents
Braun, who spent his entire career with the Milwaukee Brewers, was suspended in 2013 for a PED violation.
The third All-Star player that Rodriguez was aware of never tested positive for banned drugs and was not mentioned in the ESPN report.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Rodriguez for comment through his company, A-Rod Corp.
According to ESPN, Rodriguez met with federal agents and prosecutors in Weston, Florida, on January 29, 2014.
He was joined at the meeting by attorney Joe Tacopina, who has recently represented Donald Trump in civil and criminal cases in New York.
Rodriguez was given immunity under a deal colloquially known as ‘Queen for a Day’ – meaning he could not be prosecuted over information revealed during the session, but had to tell the truth or be charged with lying against federal agents.
The meeting took place after Rodriguez’s MLB arbitration hearing, meaning his statements to the FBI, which were likely shared with the league, would not factor into MLB sanctions.
With the Los Angeles Dodgers, Manny Ramirez served a 50-game suspension for violating the PED policy in 2009 and received a second suspension in 2011.
Ryan Braun, who spent his entire career with the Milwaukee Brewers, was suspended in 2013 for PED violations
Anthony Bosch, owner of the now-defunct Biogenesis clinic, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute testosterone and was sentenced to four years in prison in February 2015
MLB’s independent referee had already suspended him for the entire 2014 season, finding him a drug cheat and trying to obstruct the league’s investigation into the Biogenesis scandal.
During the arbitration, Rodriguez and his lawyers had angrily denied allegations that he had used PEDs and accused Biogenesis owner Bosch of setting him up.
According to ESPN, the meeting with the FBI was the first time Rodriguez admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs purchased from Bosch.
The report cited about 1,400 pages of unredacted DEA investigative files, which said Rodriguez admitted to paying Bosch about $12,000 a month for testosterone creams, red testosterone lozenges and human growth hormone between late in the 2010 season and October 2012.
Rodriguez also told investigators that his cousin Yuri Sucart Sr had helped him obtain PEDs for at least a decade.
But according to the records, Rodriguez ultimately fired Sucart after accountants flagged transactions that showed the cousin had “frivolously spent approximately $250,000 to $500,000” of his money without authorization.
According to the files, on Christmas Eve 2012, Sucart demanded a $5 million payment from Rodriguez in exchange for keeping his doping a secret from the MLB.
Sucart was sentenced to seven months in prison in 2015 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute performance-enhancing drugs and testifying against Bosch.
Bosch, owner of the now-defunct Biogenesis clinic, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute testosterone and was sentenced to four years in prison in February 2015.
Neither Sucart nor Bosch were immediately available for comment.
Rodriguez was never charged in the Biogenesis scandal and recovered from his 2014 suspension to play for the Yankees in 2015 and 2016.
He retired from the sport on August 12, 2016 and found success as a media personality and sports commentator.
He currently hosts a simulcast of Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN2 with Michael Kay.