A business relationship between cousins that connected former Yankees star Alex Rodriguez with Biogenesis founder Anthony Bosch ultimately resulted in blackmail.
A bombshell report from ESPN that cites Drug Enforcement Administration documents shows how Rodriguez’s older cousin, Yuri Sucart Sr., laid the groundwork for Rodriguez to acquire performance-enhancing drugs from Bosch, which ultimately led to his suspension.
The relationship devolved to the point that Sucart attempted to blackmail the Yankees’ third baseman for $5 million over his business relationships with Bosch, threatening to inform Major League Baseball.
Rodriguez revealed this stunning information during his Jan. 29, 2014, meeting with seven DEA agents and two assistant attorneys from the Department of Justice regarding his relationship with Bosch, who supplied MLB stars with performance-enhancing drugs.
Sucart had once been trusted as Rodriguez’s “well-compensated assistant,” serving as a personal handler for the phenom since he entered the majors as an 18-year-old in 1994, per ESPN.
The three-time MVP told federal agents his cousin had previously supplied him with performance-enhancing drugs for more than a decade, according to the report.
Rodriguez said in 2009 that an accomplice, later revealed to be Sucart, helped him purchase performance-enhancing drugs from the Dominican Republic for usage during his time with the Rangers from 2001-03. The Yankees acquired Rodriguez for the 2004 season.
Sucart approached Bosch on Rodriguez’s behalf in 2009 and asked him about human growth hormone, before eventually requesting a few of his “gummies” samples.
Jorge “Ugi” Velazquez, a friend of Bosch, introduced the pair.
“Ugo goes, ‘I have a friend. Treat him good. He is special,’” Bosch told ESPN, while adding Sucart would wear Yankees gear and a 2009 World Series ring.
Sucart and Velazquez then helped set up a 2010 meeting between Bosch and Rodriguez, according to the report.
Rodriguez began paying Bosch around $12,000 a month for PEDs, per ESPN, and was eventually suspended in 2013 for 211 games for violating the PED policy.
He received from Bosch “doping protocols fueled by testosterone creams, red, gummy-like lozenges containing testosterone and human growth hormone” from 2010-12.
Sucart, who did not comment when contacted by ESPN, acted as the “middleman funneling cash” to Bosch.
Rodriguez wrote checks from his business account for Sucart and paid cash to Bosch.
But Rodriguez and Sucart did not remain on good terms.
Rodriguez told the agents he fired his cousin after he “frivolously spent approximately $250,000 to $500,000” of his money without Rodriguez’s consent, per the report.
The Miami Herald reported their business relationship ended in 2012.
Sucart threatened to blackmail Rodriguez on Dec. 24, 2012, for the aforementioned $5 million or he would inform Major League Baseball of Rodriguez’s illegal activities, according to ESPN.
Rodriguez claimed they reached a “confidential financial agreement” to not divulge details, while Sucart’s camp said Rodriguez had previously requested the sides agree to a confidential deal but the financial terms could not be agreed upon.
The Miami Herald reported that Rodriguez called it an “extortion letter” to DEA agents, and they settled for $900,000.
As a final kicker, Rodriguez told the agents sensitive information about Sucart that “had the effect of bringing other people into the federal investigative record,” which included the identification of Sucart’s married girlfriend.
Sucart was sentenced to seven months in jail in 2015 and permanently banned from MLB facilities.
