MLB suspends Dominican prospect over elaborate age-fraud scheme

Major League Baseball has suspended Dominican prospect Daury David Severino Damaso following an investigation into an elaborate age and identity fraud scheme. The switch-hitting infielder had previously secured a $2.8 million pre-contract agreement with the Cleveland Guardians under the false identity of David Severino.

According to reports, the scheme was designed to make the player appear nearly two years younger than his actual age. The investigation revealed that the player's former trainer, Francisco Nieves, allegedly orchestrated the plot with the consent of the player's parents. The deception involved creating a fictitious younger brother, falsifying birth, medical, and school records, and filing a fraudulent death certificate claiming the real Daury had died as a toddler in 2012.

To bolster the fabrication, a fake tombstone was reportedly placed at a gravesite in La Romana, Dominican Republic, to provide physical evidence of the fictitious death. The fraud was uncovered after evaluators noted discrepancies between the player's physical development and his declared age, as well as his performance against much younger competition.