Now this is what cleaning up the swamp actually looks like—except this time, the swamp isn’t just in Washington, it’s in professional sports. President Trump’s Department of Justice has been going after corruption in the athletic world with the same intensity it’s shown in politics and business, and the message is loud and clear: no one is above the law, not even millionaire athletes.
In the past few weeks, the DOJ has dropped the hammer on gambling scandals across multiple major leagues, from the NBA to the UFC, and now Major League Baseball. On Sunday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York announced indictments against two Cleveland Guardians pitchers, Emmanuel Clase and Luis L. Ortiz, for allegedly manipulating bets on individual pitches. Let that sink in—betting on the outcome of your own plays. That’s about as low as it gets for professional integrity.
The two are facing serious charges, including wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud, bribery conspiracy, and money laundering conspiracy. If convicted on all counts, they could spend up to 65 years in prison. According to prosecutors, Clase’s shady activity dates back to May 2023, while Ortiz started in June 2025. The betting scheme allegedly funneled more than $450,000 in profits to conspirators. Clase alone reportedly helped bettors rake in $700,000 by communicating with them through text messages during games. That’s not just reckless—that’s straight-up criminal stupidity.
Both players were already under internal investigation by the league, which had placed them on leave earlier in the year. MLB said it contacted federal law enforcement at the start of the probe and has been fully cooperating ever since. The league’s official statement made it clear that this isn’t being swept under the rug. That’s a welcome change for a sports industry that’s spent far too long pretending gambling scandals are ancient history.
And this isn’t just about baseball. Days before these indictments, the FBI launched an investigation into a UFC fighter, Isaac Dulgarian, after suspicious betting activity was detected before his fight at UFC Vegas 110. The odds swung dramatically toward his opponent, Yadier del Valle, and sure enough, Dulgarian lost in a bizarre first-round submission. The moment the fight ended, UFC CEO Dana White called the FBI. The Nevada Athletic Commission has since withheld Dulgarian’s purse, and the fighter’s been cut from the promotion altogether.
Even the NBA hasn’t escaped scrutiny. Earlier reports indicated that the DOJ is examining betting irregularities involving player prop bets, an issue that’s exploded as online sports wagering becomes more widespread.
This is exactly why Trump’s DOJ deserves credit for stepping in. The leagues can only police themselves so much before conflicts of interest take over. Once betting money enters the equation, integrity goes out the window, and the fans are the ones left cheated. The Trump administration is making sure the message is clear—sports are supposed to be about competition, not corruption.
What’s happening now is a reset. The DOJ isn’t targeting athletes to make headlines; it’s restoring trust in American sports, something we haven’t seen since before corporate sponsorships and gambling apps took over every inch of the screen. Real justice means accountability, whether you’re in the dugout or the Oval Office.
It’s about time someone held the sports world to the same standards the rest of America lives by. President Trump said he wanted to drain the swamp, and apparently, he wasn’t just talking about Washington.
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