Overview
- Jurors were selected Tuesday in downtown Los Angeles, with opening statements beginning in the afternoon.
- Puig, 35, faces one obstruction count and two false-statement counts, exposing him to a maximum of about 20 years if convicted on all charges.
- Prosecutors say he placed 899 wagers between May and September 2019 through an associate linked to Nix and amassed roughly $282,900 in losses, and sent Nix $200,000 toward that debt.
- The government alleges he lied in a January 2022 interview with federal investigators and on 2019 naturalization paperwork about his gambling activity.
- He agreed in 2022 to plead guilty to one count and pay at least $55,000 before withdrawing the deal, which a judge deemed nonbinding, and operation runner Wayne Nix has already pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing.