MLB Suspends Prospect in Fake-Death Age-Fraud Plot
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- MLB suspended a once-prized Dominican prospect after uncovering an elaborate age-fraud scheme that included a fake younger-brother identity, a fraudulent death certificate, and a staged gravesite tombstone planted in La Romana, 75 miles from Santo Domingo.
- Daury David Severino Damaso, actually 16 (born April 2, 2010), posed as "David Severino" — a fictitious younger brother — and the Cleveland Guardians agreed to a $2.8 million pre-deal in December believing he was 13 or 14, with finalization slated for 2029.
- Trainer Francisco Nieves allegedly created the false identity in 2023 with the player's parents' approval, registering a late birth certificate showing the fake David Severino Damaso's birthdate as Dec. 20, 2011; a fraudulent death certificate later claimed Daury died of respiratory illness on May 5, 2012.
- Trainer John Pereyra purchased Severino's rights from Nieves for $20,000, personally visited the gravesite to verify the story, and said he had never seen anything like it in nearly 30 years in the business: "That's movie stuff."
- Severino's suspension forces him to wait an extra year to enter the international amateur market — now class of 2028 instead of 2027 — and a scout told ESPN he would now likely sign for just $10,000.
- Multiple team executives told ESPN they grew suspicious before MLB's investigation began, with one saying, "There's no way this kid is the age he says he is," and another noting "the face was older."
- The Cleveland Guardians are not facing MLB discipline, and Pereyra still houses Severino at his academy while worrying he cannot recoup the $20,000 he paid Nieves.
Why it matters: The case exposes how far age-fraud schemes can go in the Dominican Republic's international amateur market: a $2.8 million pre-deal with Cleveland collapsed, trainer John Pereyra is out $20,000 with no commission to recoup, and the prospect — who impressed against 12- and 13-year-olds but "barely hanging on" against players his real age — now likely signs for $10,000 instead of a seven-figure contract.
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