Former Oakland A’s, Baltimore Orioles shortstop Miguel Tejada wanted for issuing bad checks
Former Oakland A’s and Baltimore Orioles shortstop Miguel Tejada is wanted by authorities in his native Dominican Republic for issuing bad checks, according to journalist Hector Gomez on Twitter.
Tejada, 47, played with the A’s, Orioles, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres, and San Francisco Giants in his 16-year MLB career, ranging from 1997-2011 and 2013.
This is not Tejada’s first time being in trouble with the law as he has had a few brushes with the legal system.
Former Oakland A’s and Baltimore Orioles shortstop Miguel Tejada is wanted for passing bad checks, but he has had other legal issues.
All was going well for Miguel Tejada throughout the first half of his MLB career.
He was one of the most reliable players in MLB history for a span as he played in 1,152 straight games from June 2, 2000 through June 21, 2007. That span is the fifth-longest in MLB history behind former Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. (2,632 games), former New York Yankees first baseman Lou Gehrig (2,130), former MLB shortstop Everett Scott (who had his 1,307-game span with three teams from 1916 through 1925), and former Dodgers and Padres first baseman Steve Garvey (1,207).
He was an All-Star and won the American League MVP in 2002 with the Oakland A’s and, in 2004, he led the AL in RBI with 150. He was an All-Star for the Baltimore Orioles that season. However, in 2005, things started falling apart for him legally.
Tejada first got in trouble in March 2005 when his teammate, Rafael Palmeiro, testified under oath to Congress about PED usage in baseball. Palmiero said while pointing his finger, “Let me start by telling you this: I have never used steroids, period. I don’t know how to say it any more clearly than that. Never.”
In August of that same year, Palmeiro was popped for steroid use but, at the time, suspensions were much more easy so he was only suspended for 10 games. However, he blamed Tejada for it as he claimed Tejada gave him a tainted B12 vitamin. MLB exonerated Tejada of this but Congress investigated it and interviewed Tejada.
Jose Canseco released his tell-all book “Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant ‘Roids, Smash Hits & How Baseball Got Big” in 2005, though, and he claimed that he thought Tejada took steroids. In 2007, Tejada was one of the 89 players named in the Mitchell Report on steroids in baseball, including Barry Bonds, Gary Sheffield, Jason Giambi, Roger Clemens, and Andy Pettitte.
In 2008, a Congressman (Henry Waxman of California) asked the Department of Justice to investigate Tejada’s interview and, in 2009, Tejada was charged with lying to Congress and Tejada pled guilty to them a few days later. He could have received a year in prison and deportation back to the Dominican Republic, but just got one year of probation.
In 2013, Tejada was officially suspended for testing positive for amphetamines twice. He was suspended for 105 games. One of the things he tested positive for was Adderall, which is used for Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). Tejada claimed he has permission to use it from MLB but the allowance lapsed and Tejada did not renew it as a medical issue with MLB.
Additionally, in 2008, Tejada admitted that he lied about his birth age to come to the United States and play baseball. He originally claimed he was born in 1976 but he was truly born in 1974.
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Despite making over $96 million in his career, Tejada filed for bankruptcy in 2015. His Florida home was also vandalized in 2017 with as much as $500,000 in valuables being stolen.
It’s a sad fall from grace for the former MVP who now, could be facing time in prison.