Pittsburgh Pirates closer Felipe Vazquez admitted to police that he tried to have sex with a 13-year-old girl and sent her nude photographs and videos of himself committing sexual acts, according to a criminal complaint released Wednesday by Pennsylvania State Police.
Vazquez, 28, was arrested Tuesday and charged with six counts in Pennsylvania and Florida, including multiple felonies, related to his contact with the now-16-year-old girl. A judge denied him bail in Pennsylvania, where the charges filed include statutory sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor, corruption of a minor and indecent assault.
Police said Vazquez met the girl while he was in the bullpen at PNC Park in Pittsburgh and communicated with her through text messages and social media. Vazquez, according to the complaint, "claimed initially that he refused to communicate with her due to her age," saying the girl appeared to be 16 or younger.
Vazquez told police he exchanged nude photos and videos with the girl, who was then 13, and drove to her home in Scottdale, Pennsylvania, about an hour outside of Pittsburgh. When Vazquez, then 26, arrived, the girl got into his car. She told police he pulled down her pants and tried to have sex with her.
Vazquez attempted to have sex with the girl, he told police, but he said he needed to leave because he had a game that night, according to the complaint.
Vazquez admitted to later sending more text messages to the girl.
The charges in Pennsylvania followed two charges in Florida, where the girl and her family now live, for soliciting a child for unlawful sexual conduct using a computer or device and giving obscene material to a minor. The girl's mother found photographs allegedly sent from Vazquez on her daughter's device and called police, spurring the investigation.
Attorneys for Vazquez declined comment in a statement released Wednesday.
"We are in the process of reviewing both the Pennsylvania and Florida charging documents, as well as the underlying facts of the matter," it said. "At this time, any comment would be premature."
Major League Baseball placed Vazquez on administrative leave after the arrest and is awaiting further information from police before considering disciplinary actions.