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The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency confirmed last week that former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez had been deported to his home country of Venezuela earlier this month following a conviction that involves multiple criminal charges.
ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Philadelphia successfully carried out the deportation of Felipe Javier Rivero Blanco, who is a Venezuelan national previously living in the United States on a visa. Known by his professional alias, Felipe Vazquez, the former MLB all-star faced numerous charges, including statutory sexual assault, sexual abuse of children, and possession of child pornography.
Vazquez was removed from the United States on December 1 after an immigration judge in Cleveland, Ohio, ordered his deportation.
“Rivero Blanco’s removal demonstrates ERO Philadelphia’s commitment to protecting U.S. persons from predators regardless of their public persona or status,” said ERO Philadelphia Field Office Director Cammilla Wamsley.
Felipe Vazquez entered the United States in 2017 following his admission by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. His legal troubles began in September 2019, when Pennsylvania State Police arrested him on charges of engaging in sexual activities with a minor and subsequent offenses related to child sexual abuse materials, according to the press release.
During his trial, the evidence presented included lewd text messages and graphic materials exchanged with the underage victim.
The Court of Common Pleas of Westmoreland County handed Vazquez a prison sentence ranging from two to four years in August 2021, as well as mandatory probation upon his release. An immigration detainer notice was then lodged by ERO Philadelphia against Rivero in November 2021, leading to his eventual deportation.
Once celebrated as a two-time MLB All-Star, he saw his career crash amid sickening allegations and incriminating evidence of improper behavior with a minor, along with the dissemination of child pornography.
Apart from the charges in Pennsylvania, Vazquez faced additional legal battles in Missouri and Florida related to similar offenses. These incidents have cemented his notoriety, transforming his public image from a celebrated sports figure to a convicted sex offender.
FOX News reported:
He was initially charged in September 2019 with statutory sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor, corruption of minors, and indecent assault of a person younger in connection with an alleged inappropriate relationship he had with a 13-year-old in 2017 who reached out to him on social media.
In November 2019, he was slammed with 21 additional charges after investigators said they found evidence of child pornography on his phone and laptop in connection to the same case.
Police found seven photos and three videos Vazquez and the girl exchanged in which they both were “in various stages of nudity,” according to court documents. The graphic imagery was discovered on electronic devices confiscated from Vazquez when he was first arrested.
Vazquez allegedly met the 13-year-old victim at Pittsburgh’s PNC Park and took pictures with her outside the bullpen. A complaint revealed that at the time of his arrest he told police he had “sex but not really” with the girl in 2017. During the trial, prosecutors showed the jury alleged text messages between the two in which Vazquez called the teen his “slave” in his “possession.”
Vazquez faced more child pornography charges in May 2020 in Missouri. He allegedly sent a photo of himself masturbating to a 15-year-old Pennsylvania resident on July 16. The same night, he picked up a save in a game against the St. Louis Cardinals. He is facing similar charges in Florida as well.
