SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, Sept. 23 (UPI) -- Florida reliever Leo Nunez has admitted using a false name while pitching in the major leagues, an election official in the Dominican Republic said Friday.
Dominican Today, an English-language online newspaper, reported Nunez had signed a statement for the Central Electoral Board saying he had used forged documents in order to sign a major league contract. The chief of that board held a news conference Friday outlining the incident.
Nunez, whose real name reportedly is Juan Carlos Oviedo, returned to the Dominican Republic after reports surfaced that he was not who he had claimed to be. A man who allegedly assisted Nunez in obtaining false documents has been arrested.
The Marlins placed Nunez on the restricted list and he will not pitch for the rest of the year.
Nunez has started six games and appeared in relief 311 times over seven years for Kansas City and Florida. He had a 1-4 record with a career-high 36 saves this season.
His salary for 2011 was listed at $3.6 million.
