Dykstra Pleads Guilty to Bankruptcy Fraud

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Former baseball slugger Lenny Dykstra pleaded guilty on Friday to bankruptcy fraud and other federal charges for selling items taken from his mansions in Ventura County.

Dykstra, 48, who played for the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies in the 1980s and 1990s, pleaded guilty to three felony counts: bankruptcy fraud, concealment of assets, and money laundering, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.

In a plea agreement filed under seal on June 26, Dykstra admitted that after filing for bankruptcy in 2009 he lied about taking and selling items that were part of the bankruptcy estate. He was accused of taking $400,000 worth of fixtures, including chandeliers, mirrors, a stove and a grandfather clock from his mansion, and $15,000 worth of baseball equipment and memorabilia, including gloves, balls and bats, and secretly selling them.

Dykstra already is serving a three-year term in state prison for grand theft auto and a concurrent 270-day sentence for lewd exposure and assault.

“The bankruptcy-related conduct to which Mr. Dykstra pleaded guilty constitutes an egregious abuse of the bankruptcy system and will not be tolerated,” Peter C. Anderson, the U.S. bankruptcy trustee for Region 16, said in a statement.

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