Former Major League Outfielder Lenny Dykstra Sentenced To Prison
Lenny Dykstra was once a top young outfielder for the Mets and Phillies. Now, he’s headed to state prison.
Tuesday, he was sentenced to three years in prison for his part in a fraudulent car-leasing scheme. Los Angeles Times:
In January 2011, Dykstra, his accountant Robert Hymers, 27, and friend Christopher Gavanis, 30, tried to lease high-end automobiles from several area dealerships by allegedly providing fraudulent information and claiming credit through a phony business, prosecutors said.
According to prosecutors, Dykstra and Hymers allegedly provided information from a man who they said was a co-signer at two dealerships, even though they were not authorized to use his name.The sentence handed down by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Cynthia Ulfig was for “grand theft auto and filing a false financial statement in connection with a scheme to use somebody else’s paperwork to steal or lease several new cars.”
Dykstra has had financial troubles since his baseball career ended at age 33 due to various injuries. He filed for bankruptcy in 2009 after several car wash and oil-change businesses he owned failed, and he has also been suspected of drug usage, including steroids. The Times article notes that Dykstra apologized to his family during the sentencing and that he had voluntarily entered drug rehab.
Dykstra will serve his three-year sentence in a California state prison.
