Ex-White Sox Scout Sentenced in Kickback Scheme

(AP) Ex-White Sox scout sentenced in kickback scheme
CHICAGO
A federal judge has sentenced a former Chicago White Sox scout to eight months in prison in a kickback scheme that targeted players from Latin America.

Dominican-born Victor Mateo was sentenced for wire fraud Friday in Chicago.

Defense lawyer Damon Cheronis says his client apologized to Major League Baseball and the White Sox. Cheronis says he’s disappointed Mateo didn’t receive probation. And he calls the 42-year-old a good man who has recently been teaching youth baseball in his native country.

Prosecutors say Mateo and two others were supposed to pay signing bonuses matching a player’s skill but fraudulently inflated amounts and took the added money.

Earlier this year, former White Sox scouting executive David Wilder was sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty in the same scheme.