MLB suspends Dominican prospect in age-fraud case

**MLB Suspends Dominican Prospect Over Alleged Age‑Fraud Scheme**

*August 29, 2026 – 03:25 GMT+10*
*By Field Level Media*

Major League Baseball (MLB) has suspended a Dominican Republic prospect after an internal investigation uncovered an alleged scheme to misrepresent the player’s age by nearly two years, according to a report by ESPN.

The player, a switch‑hitting infielder identified in the investigation as Daury David Severino Damaso, was marketed under the name “David Severino.” In December 2025, the Cleveland Guardians reportedly agreed to a $2.8 million pre‑agreement that would have allowed the club to sign the prospect in 2029, when he would have been 17 under the falsified age profile. The agreement was cancelled in May 2026 after MLB began probing the matter.

**Alleged falsifications**

ESPN’s sources allege that the scheme involved:

* Creation of false school and medical records.
* Fabrication of birth and death certificates, including a death certificate that claimed Severino died of a respiratory illness two years after birth.
* Construction of a fake gravesite in the Dominican Republic to support the false death record.

The alleged orchestrator of the false identity was identified as Francisco Nieves, who was reportedly Severino’s trainer in 2023. According to the report, Nieves posed as Severino’s younger brother and arranged the counterfeit documents and gravesite.

**Trainer’s statements**

John Pereyra, a veteran trainer who runs the Futuro Big Leaguers academy in Santiago, said he first encountered Severino when the player was presented as an 11‑year‑old. Pereyra paid Nieves $20,000 for Severino’s rights and coached the prospect for two years leading up to the Guardians’ agreement. Pereyra told ESPN that he was unaware of the age‑fraud plot, noting only that the player’s parents had filed his birth certificate later than usual—a practice he described as “not uncommon in poor areas.” He added that he investigated the claim of a deceased younger brother by visiting the alleged gravesite, which he said “eased his concerns.”

Pereyra declined to place blame on Severino or his family, citing the economic pressures that can drive families to seek advantages in professional baseball.

**Context**

Age and identity fraud have been reported in the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, where some players and their representatives have altered documentation to appear younger and increase their marketability to MLB clubs. The extent of the alleged scheme involving Severino, which reportedly included a fabricated tombstone, was described by Pereyra as “the first time I’ve ever seen anything like that in the Dominican.”

**MLB response**

MLB has not released a detailed statement regarding the investigation or the specific length of the suspension. Neither the Cleveland Guardians nor Francisco Nieves have commented publicly on the allegations.

The suspension underscores MLB’s ongoing efforts to enforce its rules on player eligibility and to combat fraudulent practices that undermine the integrity of the signing process.

Article and image source: venezuelastar.com