10 of 13 convicted in shooting attack on ex-Red Sox star David Ortiz in the Dominican Republic

Authorities have convicted 10 of the 13 men accused of trying to kill former major league baseball star David “Big Papi” Ortiz in a shooting attack in his native Dominican Republic.

According to NBC News, Ortiz was shot in the back at a bar in June 2019 and required several operations in the Dominican and the United States. Investigators later discovered he was mistaken for another individual who was the intended victim of the murder attempt.

Judges handed down sentences from five to 30 years against the convicted men, who were found guilty of attempted murder, conspiracy, the use of illicit firearms and associating with criminals.

Eddy Vladimir Féliz Garcia, 26, and Rolfi Ferreras Cruz, 27, received the harshest prison sentences, getting 30 years each because of their “direct participation in the assassination attempt,” the Dominican Republic’s Office of Attorney General said in a statement, NBC reported. Ferreras Cruz was accused of shooting Ortiz while astride a motorcycle Féliz Garcia was driving.

The judge imposed 20 years on Alberto Miguel Rodríguez Mota, 28, who paid those who attacked Ortiz.

Eduardo Ciprián Lebrón, 24, and Oliver Moisés Mirabal, 28, received 10-year prison terms. Gabriel Alexander Pérez Vizcaino, 31, and Joel Rodriguez de la Cruz, 28, received respective sentences of nine and six years.

Porfirio Ayendi Deschamps Vásquez, 29, Junior César La Hoz Vargas, 28, and Franklin Junior Merán, 26, each received five-year sentences.

Victor Hugo Gómez Vásquez, who was supposed to have been the plot’s mastermind, plus two other defendants were acquitted due to insufficient evidence.

The attorney general’s office declared that the guilty defendants must pay 50 million pesos in damages compensation, in addition to serving their separate terms.

Ortiz, a 10-time All-Star, guided the Boston Red Sox to three World Series victories, including the triumph in 2013, the year he was selected MVP, ESPN reported. In July, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, selected in his first year of eligibility.

Currently a Fox Sports analyst, Ortiz retired in 2016 with 541 career home runs. His uniform’s number, 34, has since been retired by the Red Sox.

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