An unexpected story came up earlier this season, as Orange County Otters wide receiver Garfield Despacito Jr. was found guilty of committing tax fraud. Reports of the committed crime by the aspiring young star surfaced once he was seen buying luxury training equipment that was seen as well below the price range he could afford, being known for his status as an extremely broke prospect beforehand.
A criminal investigation was conducted following Despacito Jr.'s purchase, and unveiled that he had at least 45 million US dollars in illegitimately acquired funds. A warrant was issued for Despacito Jr.'s arrest, and he was apprehended at his home by Orange County Police Department officers, despite being quoted as being "fast as [expletive]" by one of the officers on the scene. A sequence of interrogation regarding the tax evasion followed, where Despacito Jr. feigned ignorance to the illegal inflation of his bank account. He was then presented with evidence showing him flaunting his newfound wealth to his teammates, and even players on opposing teams, and he immediately said he would need a lawyer before talks could continue.
In court, a decision was reached fairly easily, as all the evidence amounted to a slam dunk unanimous guilty verdict for the potential rookie of the year candidate. Despacito Jr. was sentenced to a year of prison time, which he obviously didn't have to actually serve on account of being a pro athlete lol, and was fined to return both the entirety his illegitimate money, as well as exchange his high quality training equipment for much worse equipment much better suited to his broke and unlavish lifestyle. The player has been unavailable for comment during this controversy, making himself entirely unavailable to the press, but the Orange County Otters were quick to act upon the guilty verdict, visibly reducing Despacito Jr.'s role in the team (he was still pretty sick despite this tho, obviously). Despacito Jr.'s agent Garfield Despacito has been vocally upset about the reduction of playing time, signaling to aspiring expansion franchises New York and Berlin that Despacito Jr.'s tax evasion "was a simple misunderstanding" and that this situation "doesn't represent who Garfield is as both a player and person". The S22 wide receiver is still, of course, highly unlikely to be taken in the expansion draft anyway, having not been contacted by either of the two franchises yet, likely due to his new criminal history.
Despacito Jr. signed a new 2-year contract covering S25 and S26 in the middle of this season, a deal that sees his pay slashed to just two million per season. After the charges the rookie has to pay, he may be currently regretting the cut price on this new contract given his impressive debut season. Through 16 games for Orange County this season, Despacito Jr. caught 44 receptions for 620 yards, scoring 6 touchdowns as well. The son of former Norfolk Seawolves player and current agent Garfield Despacito caught a playoff touchdown as well in a round one win over the New Orleans Second Line.
A criminal investigation was conducted following Despacito Jr.'s purchase, and unveiled that he had at least 45 million US dollars in illegitimately acquired funds. A warrant was issued for Despacito Jr.'s arrest, and he was apprehended at his home by Orange County Police Department officers, despite being quoted as being "fast as [expletive]" by one of the officers on the scene. A sequence of interrogation regarding the tax evasion followed, where Despacito Jr. feigned ignorance to the illegal inflation of his bank account. He was then presented with evidence showing him flaunting his newfound wealth to his teammates, and even players on opposing teams, and he immediately said he would need a lawyer before talks could continue.
In court, a decision was reached fairly easily, as all the evidence amounted to a slam dunk unanimous guilty verdict for the potential rookie of the year candidate. Despacito Jr. was sentenced to a year of prison time, which he obviously didn't have to actually serve on account of being a pro athlete lol, and was fined to return both the entirety his illegitimate money, as well as exchange his high quality training equipment for much worse equipment much better suited to his broke and unlavish lifestyle. The player has been unavailable for comment during this controversy, making himself entirely unavailable to the press, but the Orange County Otters were quick to act upon the guilty verdict, visibly reducing Despacito Jr.'s role in the team (he was still pretty sick despite this tho, obviously). Despacito Jr.'s agent Garfield Despacito has been vocally upset about the reduction of playing time, signaling to aspiring expansion franchises New York and Berlin that Despacito Jr.'s tax evasion "was a simple misunderstanding" and that this situation "doesn't represent who Garfield is as both a player and person". The S22 wide receiver is still, of course, highly unlikely to be taken in the expansion draft anyway, having not been contacted by either of the two franchises yet, likely due to his new criminal history.
Despacito Jr. signed a new 2-year contract covering S25 and S26 in the middle of this season, a deal that sees his pay slashed to just two million per season. After the charges the rookie has to pay, he may be currently regretting the cut price on this new contract given his impressive debut season. Through 16 games for Orange County this season, Despacito Jr. caught 44 receptions for 620 yards, scoring 6 touchdowns as well. The son of former Norfolk Seawolves player and current agent Garfield Despacito caught a playoff touchdown as well in a round one win over the New Orleans Second Line.