It was last week that Florida Marlins closer Leo Nunez returned to his native Dominican Republic and admitted that he had been playing under an assumed name and age. Nunez, 28, is actually Juan Carlos Oviedo, 29. The Marlins placed Oviedo on the restricted list and suspended him, and it then became a matter of seeing how the various governing bodies would respond.
Leo Nunez - Or Juan Carlos Oviedo - Will Not Face Charges In Dominican Republic
Tuesday, we have word on how the Dominican government will respond: according to Juan C. Rodriguez, Oviedo will not face charges.
Central Electoral Commissions President Roberto Rosario has indicated Juan Carlos Oviedo, formerly Marlins closer Leo Nunez, will not face criminal charges in his native Dominican Republic for assuming a false identity more than a decade ago.
Oviedo is getting credit for being forthcoming and cooperative. The man who allegedly supplied him with falsified documents, meanwhile, was arrested last week and likely will face charges.
It’s unknown at this point whether the US government will choose to act, and whether Major League Baseball will discipline Oviedo. It is expected that he’ll be able to resume his playing career next season after a few issues are worked out.
If you’re wondering why Oviedo suddenly came forth with his true identity after playing under another name for more than a decade, I’ll give the floor to the Fish Bytes blog:
But, earlier this year, when Oviedo was at home in the Dominican Republic and preparing to head to Jupiter for the start of spring training with the Marlins, his dying father’s final request was for him to come clean and regain his true identity.
Oviedo assumed the name of an old friend and changed his age to look more appealing to American scouts. That’s usually the story.
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