David Ortiz claims that he is a “victim of extortion” as hackers obtained an old cellphone and are threatening to “sell” elements of his personal life if he doesn’t pay up.
Ortiz made the bombshell claims on Instagram in Spanish.
“They navigated through my personal life and have wanted to extort me through that,” Ortiz said, as translated by the Boston Globe.
Ortiz, a Baseball Hall of Fame inductee from his time with the Red Sox and Twins, currently is a studio analyst for Fox Sports’ MLB coverage.
The 47-year-old said that it was a phone he had 15 years ago and has not used in a long time.
He said that he has reported the matter to authorities in the United States and his native Dominican Republic.
“The criminals know that we are watching them closely and here in the United States, the FBI, the DEA and now in the Dominican Republic the Intelligence Department and the police,” Ortiz said. “They are taking action over this.”
He asked viewers of the video not to accept offers for hacked materials.
“Because it was something totally illegal,” Ortiz said. “Besides that, this same person six months ago did bank fraud on my bank accounts. … I wouldn’t want any of my beautiful people from the Dominican Republic to get involved in this. And take part in this. Because we are taking legal action. Because this has to do with fraud and extortion.”
In 2019, Ortiz was shot at a Dominican nightclub.
Ten people were convicted in relation to the shooting last year, as Dominican authorities said Ortiz was not the intended target and that the shooters had meant to murder a man who was sitting at his table.