An Arizona woman, who previously accused former MLB pitcher Trevor Bauer of sexual assault, now faces charges of defrauding the athlete.
The indictment, revealed Monday in Maricopa County Superior Court, alleges fraud and theft by extortion, with limited specifics regarding the purported offenses, indicating Bauer and another individual as victims over a potential multi-year period.
As per standard practice, the Associated Press refrains from identifying individuals alleging sexual assault unless they opt for public disclosure.
In December 2022, the woman filed a lawsuit against Bauer, asserting rape allegations from two years prior, which she claimed resulted in a late 2020 pregnancy.
Notably, there’s no listed attorney for the woman in the fraud case, and her legal representative from the lawsuit hasn’t provided immediate comment upon request.
While Bauer was never formally arrested or charged, he filed a countersuit, contending a single consensual encounter in 2020, and accused her of fabricating the pregnancy for monetary gain.
Bauer’s legal team asserts the woman made several million-dollar demands.
The pitcher admits to paying $8,761 for expenses he believed linked to the woman’s purported pregnancy and its termination, though she later disclosed a miscarriage.
The woman faces arraignment on the criminal charges next Friday.
In a video statement released Tuesday, Bauer maintains his innocence.
Bauer seeks to revive his MLB career post-suspension for violating league policies on domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse, following similar allegations from another woman, which he denied.
Released by the Los Angeles Dodgers in January 2023, Bauer played for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars in Japan’s Pacific League last year. He recently signed with Mexico’s Diablos Rojos and made his spring debut against the New York Yankees.
