Gus Garcia-Roberts

@ggarciaroberts.bsky.social

National reporter, ProPublica

@propublica.orgReposted by @ggarciaroberts.bsky.social

When a team of ProPublica reporters first heard that a Putin-linked oligarch named Umar Kremlev attended Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding, they couldn’t believe it. Then they found the proof in an Instagram group photo. Listen to this excerpt from our “Paper Trail” podcast:

@propublica.orgReposted by @ggarciaroberts.bsky.social

NEW: ProPublica investigated how talented young baseball players from the Dominican Republic are sometimes robbed of their education and signing bonuses by an unregulated network of high-interest lenders and trainers. Here are the key takeaways.

propublica.orgUnderage Players, Predatory Moneylenders: 7 Findings From Our Dominican Baseball InvestigationProPublica uncovered the machinery of the Dominican Republic baseball factory, whose lenders and trainers exploit players as young as 11. Here are the key findings from our reporting.
@themorrancave.bsky.socialReposted by @ggarciaroberts.bsky.social

Belfi Rivera was 14 when the Diamondbacks made a handshake deal that would pay him $1.8M after he turned 16.

But he saw almost none of it.

$630K went to a trainer who brokered the deal, and $950K+ went to a lender whose business partner is Red Sox legend David Ortiz.

New, @propublica.org

propublica.orgHow the Dominican Baseball Factory Traps Young Players and Their Families With False PromisesTeams make handshake deals with players as young as 11 while moneylenders prey on their families. The industry is corrupt, but Major League Baseball and the players union have done little about it.
@jlussenhop.bsky.socialReposted by @ggarciaroberts.bsky.social

Our brand new episode of "Paper Trail" featuring @ggarciaroberts.bsky.social is here: "The Predatory Industry Behind MLB’s Dominican Superstar Pipeline" www.propublica.org/podcast/domi...

Jessica Lussenhop@jlussenhop.bsky.social

Today, my ProPublica colleague @ggarciaroberts.bsky.social dropped a blockbuster investigation into the very dark side of professional baseball in the Dominican Republic. For the first time we've got two ways to consume the crown jewel story: in print OR in audio, on our podcast "Paper Trail"

propublica.orgThe Predatory Industry Behind MLB’s Dominican Superstar Pipeline
@ggarciaroberts.bsky.social

New for @propublica, how MLB created perfect the market conditions for predatory moneylenders in Dominican baseball, and David Ortiz’s hidden role bankrolling the most notorious prestamista in the DR www.propublica.org/article/how-...

propublica.orgHow the Dominican Baseball Factory Traps Young Players and Their Families With False PromisesTeams make handshake deals with players as young as 11 while moneylenders prey on their families. The industry is corrupt, but Major League Baseball and the players union have done little about it.