Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deported a former Major League Baseball star for sexual crimes involving a minor, the agency said.
The agency deported former Pittsburgh Pirates player Felipe Javier Rivero Blanco Dec. 1 to Venezuela after he was convicted of statutory sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor, indecent assault of a person less than 16 years of age, and 10 counts related to child sexual abuse material, according to ICE. Rivero Blanco played for the Pirates under the alias Felipe Vazquez.
The victim, a 13-year-old girl, reported that Rivero Blanco, who was 26 at the time, attempted to have sex with her in a car, according to MLB.com. Rivero Blanco later admitted to having sex with the girl in her house.
The young girl’s mother found explicit text messages, pictures and video Rivero Blanco had sent to her daughter, according to MLB.com. He was subsequently placed on administrative leave from the Pirates.
In 2021, he was convicted and sentenced to two years of incarceration, according to ICE. (RELATED: Illegal Alien Released By Feds After Committing Crimes Globally Went On To Commit More In The US)
PITTSBURGH, PA – JULY 18: A general view of the field in the fifth inning during the exhibition game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Cleveland Indians at PNC Park on July 18, 2020 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
“Rivero Blanco’s removal demonstrates ERO [Enforcement and Removal Operations] Philadelphia’s commitment to protecting U.S. persons from predators regardless of their public persona or status,” ERO Philadelphia Field Office Director Cammilla Wamsley said in a statement regarding the deportation.
Rivero Blanco pitched five MLB seasons for the Washington Nationals and Pirates, earning an All-Star nod in 2018 and 2019 before his arrest.
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