Ten convicted in attempted murder of Hall of Fame slugger David Ortiz

Ten people were convicted in a Dominican court of being involved in the 2019 attempted murder of baseball Hall of Fame slugger David Ortiz, authorities said. 

A native of the Dominican Republic, Ortiz was with friends at a Santo Domingo bar in 2019 when he was ambushed by a man who shot him in the back at close range.

The alleged shooter, Rolfi Ferreyra Cruz, and another man received the harshest prison sentences of 30 years, The Associated Press reported Wednesday.

The eight other men were sentenced to between 5 and 20 years behind bars. Three defendants were acquitted due to a lack of evidence, including the man accused of plotting the attack, Víctor Hugo Gómez Vásquez.

Crimes the men were sentenced for included being involved in a criminal organization, using illegal firearms and attempted murder, according to court documents.

Ortiz hired U.S. private investigators who found that the baseball legend was targeted by a jealous Dominican drug trafficker. Dominican authorities, however, said the hitman was confused as he was hired to target Ortiz's cousin Sixto David Fernandez, who was at the same table.

More details from the sentencing will be released in February, authorities said.