Former Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets outfielder Lenny Dykstra has been sentenced to three years in California prison, according to the LA Times. After initially pleading no contest to grand theft auto and filing false financial statements in connection with stealing somebody else’s identity to lease and resell several new cars, Dykstra’s lawyers aggressively attempted to withdraw his plea and fight the charges, but the judge ultimately denied and sentenced the three-time All-Star to three years in a state prison. The maximum penalty was a four-year sentence.
The judge’s opinion cited Dykstra’s lack of remorse, as he failed to apologize to the man whose name he used without authorization and, in a brief statement to the court before the sentence was rendered, sounded more apologetic about the fact that he was caught, rather than admitting he’s a criminal.
Dykstra’s life has been nothing short of a sweaty mess since retiring at 35. Despite making over $24 million during his playing days, Dykstra has been reduced to selling his baseball memorabilia, stealing, and lying to make ends meet. He has been sued multiple times, including an incident involving him stripping naked and asking for a massage from a woman who was merely meeting him for a housekeeping job.
In the end, these next three years could wind up feeling like a long weekend for Dykstra, because he’s still facing 13 unrelated federal charges of embezzlement, obstruction of justice, and multiple bankruptcy frauds that could land him up to 80 years in prison if convicted. He was bonded out of jail for those charges by none other than Charlie Sheen. Winning?
Photo courtesy of Daylife.com
