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11 months ago
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Former Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star pitcher Felipe Rivero was deported to his native Venezuela last Friday after serving a prison sentence for sexually assaulting a minor in Pennsylvania, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed Tuesday.
Rivero, 32, was convicted in May 2021 on charges related to the sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl.
The two-time All-Star, who legally changed his surname to Vázquez to honor his sister during the 2018 season, began a sexual relationship with the underaged girl in 2017 and it lasted for almost two years.
Rivero, according to police, met the girl on social media when she was 13 years old in July 2017 and, about a month later, drove to her Scottsdale, Pennsylvania, home while her parents were away.
He parked his vehicle in front of the residence and had sex with her before he drove back to Pittsburgh for a game that day.
Former Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star Felipe Rivero was deported to Venezuela last Friday. Rivero spent two years in prison for sexually assaulting a minor from Scottsdale, Pennsylvania. He began the relationship with the girl in 2017 when she was 13 and it lasted for nearly two years when her mother discovered it and alerted police in Florida, where they had moved to
Felipe Rivero appeared in two All-Star Games as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates. He changed his surname to Vázquez in 201 to honor his sister, who was also his agent, several months after the Pirates had signed him to a four-year, $22.5 million extension
Rivero and the teenager exchanged explicit text messages and images until June 2019 when her mother found out and contacted authorities in Florida, where they had moved earlier in that same year.
Rivero was arrested in Pennsylvania and also facing charges for assaults on the same minor in Florida and Missouri. Authorities in Florida had requested his extradition to try him on charges that he had possessed child pornography, including images that the girl sent him.
Rivero told a court that the girl had provided a digital Pennsylvania identification card that showed that she was 17. Authorities were unable to confirm his claim and the girl denied it was true.
Rivero was found guilty of statutory sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor, indecent assault of a person less than 16 years of age, corruption of a minor and ten counts related to child sexual abuse material.
The Court of Common Pleas of Westmore County in Pennsylvania sentenced him to two years in prison on August 17, 2021.
Felipe Rivero, who also pitched under the alias Felipe Vázquez, told the court during his trial that the teenager had showed him a digital Pennsylvania identification card that showed that she was 17 years old. Police were not able to verify the claim, which the girl denied
Felipe Rivero was transferred to ICE custody in November 2021 and deported to Venezuela last Friday
Felipe Rivero (third from left) was selected to the All-Star Game in 2018 and 2019
ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations filed an immigration detainer notice with the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections in November 2021. An immigration judge ordered Rivero removed from the United States to Venezuela on May 31.
The former pitcher waived his rights to an appeal and was placed in custody of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Philadelphia on September 20.
'Rivero Blanco’s removal demonstrates ERO Philadelphia’s commitment to protecting U.S. persons from predators regardless of their public persona or status,' Enforcement and Removal Operations Philadelphia Field Office Director Cammilla Wamsley said in a statement.
Rivero debuted with the Washington National in 2015 and was traded to Pittsburgh for closer Mark Melancon at the trade deadline.
He had a breakout season in 2017 with 21 saves and a 1.67 ERA in 73 appearances.
The Pirates awarded his stellar performance with a four-year, $22.5 million contract extension in January 2018. He was named to the All-Star game in 2018 and finished the 2018 season with career-high 37 saves and a 2.70 ERA in 70 games.
He excelled the next season, earning a second All-Star Game appearance and had 28 saves while pitching to career-best 1.65 ERA in 56 games before he ran into legal problems.
He was arrested in September 2019 as the seasons was coming to a close and put on administrative leave by major league baseball.
Rivero is estimated to have earned more than $22 million in his career.
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