Post by Fish Troll on Mar 28, 2007 17:28:30 GMT -5
Report: Urbina sentenced to prison in VenezuelaESPN.com news services
Former major league pitcher Ugueth Urbina has reportedly been sentenced to 14 years in prison in Venezuela for the attempted murder of five workers on his family's ranch, the Mexican daily newspaper El Universal reported Wednesday.
Urbina was also found guilty of illegal deprivation of liberty and violating a prohibition against taking justice into his own hands during a dispute over a gun on Oct. 16, 2005, El Universal reported.
"I am very disappointed and upset," his agent, Peter Greenberg, told ESPN. We're hopeful that the judicial process will exonerate Uggie. I firmly believe he's innocent."
Urbina, 31, was accused of joining a group of men in attacking and injuring workers with machetes and pouring gasoline on them at his family's ranch, located about 25 miles south of Caracas.
Urbina repeatedly has denied involvement with the violence, saying he was sleeping at the time of the attack.
The pitcher's lawyer, Jose Luis Tamayo, has said that Urbina surprised the workers by showing up at his ranch that night while they were bathing in the pool without permission. Urbina spoke sharply to them, but later left and went to sleep, according to Tamayo.
In 11 major league seasons with the Montreal Expos, Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers, Florida Marlins, Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Phillies, Urbina went 44-49 with 237 saves and a 3.45 ERA. He led the NL with 41 saves in 1999 with the Expos and was third in the AL with 40 saves in 2002 for the Red Sox.
Urbina went 1-0 with four saves, including two in the World Series, in the 2003 postseason as the Marlins won their second world championship.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
Former major league pitcher Ugueth Urbina has reportedly been sentenced to 14 years in prison in Venezuela for the attempted murder of five workers on his family's ranch, the Mexican daily newspaper El Universal reported Wednesday.
Urbina was also found guilty of illegal deprivation of liberty and violating a prohibition against taking justice into his own hands during a dispute over a gun on Oct. 16, 2005, El Universal reported.
"I am very disappointed and upset," his agent, Peter Greenberg, told ESPN. We're hopeful that the judicial process will exonerate Uggie. I firmly believe he's innocent."
Urbina, 31, was accused of joining a group of men in attacking and injuring workers with machetes and pouring gasoline on them at his family's ranch, located about 25 miles south of Caracas.
Urbina repeatedly has denied involvement with the violence, saying he was sleeping at the time of the attack.
The pitcher's lawyer, Jose Luis Tamayo, has said that Urbina surprised the workers by showing up at his ranch that night while they were bathing in the pool without permission. Urbina spoke sharply to them, but later left and went to sleep, according to Tamayo.
In 11 major league seasons with the Montreal Expos, Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers, Florida Marlins, Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Phillies, Urbina went 44-49 with 237 saves and a 3.45 ERA. He led the NL with 41 saves in 1999 with the Expos and was third in the AL with 40 saves in 2002 for the Red Sox.
Urbina went 1-0 with four saves, including two in the World Series, in the 2003 postseason as the Marlins won their second world championship.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2815590
