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MIAMI - The convicted ringleader of a smuggling organization that brought more than 1,000 Cubans into the U.S., some of them baseball players including Texas Rangers outfielder Leonys Martin, was sentenced Monday to more than 14 years in federal prison.U.S. District Judge Joan Lenard rejected a request for leniency by Eliezer Lazo, whom she noted was paid $22,000 a month through the scheme — not counting the percentages of any professional baseball contracts the players signed. Prosecutors say Martin paid the Lazo group $1.2 million after signing with the Rangers in 2011.Thats a lot of money, Lenard said.Lazo, 41, will begin serving the sentence after finishing an unrelated five-year prison term for money laundering in a Medicare fraud case. In the smuggling case, he pleaded guilty in August to extortion conspiracy.The Lazo organization smuggled Cubans by boat to Mexico for $10,000 each, more for the baseball players, according to court documents. They would then usually travel to the U.S. border crossing at Laredo, Texas, and ask to be permitted to stay in the U.S.Under the U.S. wet foot, dry foot policy, Cubans who reach dry land in the U.S. are generally allowed to remain while those intercepted at sea are returned to the communist island. Lazos attorney, William Clay, said many of Lazos customers were overjoyed to make it to the U.S. despite the costs.They had gotten what they bargained for, Clay said.But Assistant U.S. Attorney Ron Davidson said migrants who couldnt pay were held for ransom by armed guards, often threatened and sometimes beaten. Although Lazo himself did not participate in any violence, Davidson said he was well aware it was going on.This man is not a freedom fighter, Davidson said.The case also provided a glimpse into how Mexican drug cartels get their cut of the migrant smuggling business. Court documents show that in the Cancun area, the Zetas cartel charges Cuban smugglers $10,000 per boat and up to $3,000 per migrant to allow them to pass through their territory and assist in paying bribes to local officials.No evidence surfaced in the case that Martin or any of the other valuable Cuban ballplayers were mistreated. Only Martin has been identified by name in the Lazo case, but other Cuban stars such as Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig have also been smuggled through Mexico.Aside from being free from Cuba, baseball players from that country have an incentive to go to a third country such as Mexico before signing MLB contracts. If they came directly to the U.S., they would be subject to the MLB draft and likely sign a less lucrative deal. Going to Mexico first makes them free agents looking for the highest bidder.Martin, a speedy outfielder, signed a five-year, $15.5 million contract with the Rangers in 2011. Last year he batted .274 and stole 31 bases.Clay indicated he may appeal Lazos sentence, calling it unreasonable because Lazo offered to co-operate with investigators before he was indicted and had only a limited role in the extortion. For his part, Lazo apologized for his crimes through a Spanish interpreter.I am very repentant and remorseful for the crimes I have committed, Lazo said. I am so sorry I got involved in these issues._____Follow Curt Anderson on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Miamicurt Manuel Margot Jersey . Blackhawks RW Patrick Kane came up big when it counted, tallying two goals and an assist. He scored the game-winner with 4:45 remaining in the third period, stopping on the right hashmarks, carrying the puck up through the top of the Kings zone, then firing a wrist shot from the top of the circles past Jonathan Quick, who had his view obstructed by Andrew Shaw. Tony Gwynn Jersey . 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The criminal investigation branch of the Thunder Bay Police Service is leading the investigation with help from Ottawa police.Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Mike Richards boasts intangible qualities most NHL general managers only dream about. Too bad his contract has become a GMs nightmare. Although the Los Angeles Kings decision to place Richards on waivers was primarily a salary cap move, there is a sad reality at the heart of the story. The fact of the matter is the former All-Star forward who became a champion in L.A. simply isnt earning his keep these days. Richards was placed on waivers Monday and there was never a chance he wouldnt clear. Carrying an annual cap hit of $5.75 million through the 2019-20 season, the contract signed with Philadelphia in December 2007 has made Richards a wealthy man, but to NHL GMs the mammoth deal is an albatross around the 29- year-olds neck. Reports out of Los Angeles suggest Kings GM Dean Lombardi tried his best to deal Richards over the weekend, but nothing materialized. When Lombardi realized he couldnt dump Richards salary on another team via a trade, the decision to waive him became necessary. The deadline to claim Richards was Tuesday at 9 a.m. ET, and, as expected, no takers came forward. The Kings now can assign Richards to their AHL affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs, and see $925,000 of his cap hit come off the books. It may not seem like much, but even the tiniest bit of relief helps the cap- strapped Kings. Still, Lombardi has to be kicking himself for not using a compliance buyout on Richards when he had the chance. The NHLs collective bargaining agreement allowed teams to rid themselves of unwanted cap hits following the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons. To many in the media, it seemed like a foregone conclusion Lombardi would buy out Richards and make him a free agent, especially since the summer of 2014 marked the last chance for NHLs teams to use compliance buyouts. Instead, the GM opted to keep Richards in the fold and bet on the forward regaining his old form, and now it seems like a rare error in judgment from Lombardi. Of course, Lombardi was aware of Richards decline, but he chose to keep him around because of the intangibles he brings to the table. The former Flyers captain has a reputation as a guy who puts the goals of his team first while his personal achievements place a distant second. Youre loathe to ever give up on that kind of player, its very difficult to find that special ingredient, Lombardi said last summer while explaining why he declined to buy out Richards. Even through his negatives this year, who rises to the occasion in the end? Time and again he shows up at critical moments. There is little doubt Richards, who turns 30 in a few weeks, played a positive role in Darryl Sutters locker room during the Kings championship runs in 2012 and 14, but its clear the head coach is depennding less and less on the veteran when it comes to actual playing time.dddddddddddd When Richards came to L.A. in a trade with Philadelphia during the summer of 2011, he was seen as a potential missing piece for a Kings team with plenty of young talent and that proved to be true, in the short term at least. Richards averaged 19 minutes, 30 seconds of ice time per game in the 2012 playoffs, as only star centerman Anze Kopitar and captain Dustin Brown received more playing time among Kings forwards. During last seasons run to the Cup, however, his ice dropped to 15:32, leaving Richards 14th on the team and seventh among forwards. The trend of decreased playing time has continued this season with Richards logging 13:41 of ice time on average through 47 games. His production has fallen off, too, as Richards has managed only 15 points and the normally reliable two-way forward also is sporting a minus-seven rating. Lombardi spoke Monday to the Los Angeles Times about the decision to waive Richards and used a baseball analogy to try to make sense of his embattled forwards struggles. Mike, through his career, has shown he can be a .330 hitter, 80 RBIs, an All- Star player, Lombardi said. Maybe at this stage, maybe its not fair, but I still think he is capable of being a .280 hitter and (can) do a lot of those things for you that only he can do. Lets face it: right now hes batting .200. I dont see any reason why he cant get back to that. Hes gotta do what hes gotta do. For me, the world of the NBA offers the best comparison for Richards, who always seemed like the NHLs version of Allen Iverson. While Iverson was blessed with superior athletic ability that resulted in him getting selected No. 1 overall by the Philadelphia 76ers, Richards also was a first-round pick by the Flyers and became the face of a Philly franchise. Also like Iverson, Richards off-ice habits led him to spar with the Philadelphia media, but few people ever questioned either players work ethic when it came time to play a game. And although both Iverson and Richards were undersized for their respective sports, neither man ever blinked when it came time to pay a physical price for their teams. Sadly, its beginning to seem like the parallels may not end there. The wear and tear eroded Iversons ability until eventually he became a shell of his former self and quietly faded out of the NBA. Only time will tell if Richards can avoid a similar fate, but his struggles over the past two seasons are not a promising sign. Still, the veteran can count his coach among the folks who still believe he can get his career back on track. Lots of players go on waivers. Lots of players clear waivers, Sutter said. And lots of players still have great years in front of them. Cheap Capitals Jerseys Cheap Blackhawks Jerseys Cheap Avalanche Jerseys Cheap Stars Jerseys Cheap Wild Jerseys Cheap Predators Jerseys Cheap Blues Jerseys Cheap Jets Jerseys Cheap Ducks Jerseys Cheap Coyotes Jerseys Wholesale Flames Jerseys Cheap Golden Knights Jerseys Cheap Oilers Jerseys Cheap Kings Jerseys Cheap Sharks Jerseys Cheap Canucks Jerseys ' ' '