The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) today confirms that three national-level tennis officials from the Dominican Republic have been suspended for breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP).
All three cases were ruled on by independent Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer (AHO) Richard Young and related to the entering of false data into the match scoring device to facilitate betting, which occurred between 2018 and 2021.
Luis Rodriguez denied charges relating to six matches in the Dominican Republic between 2018 and 2020.
A hearing was held in December 2024, from which AHO Young upheld the charges, issuing a lifetime ban from the sport and a fine of $15,000, stating “as a chair umpire, he was in an important position of trust charged with upholding the integrity of the sport. This was not a one-off occurrence of bad judgment.” The sanction took effect on 21 January 2025, the date of the written decision.
Antonio Sosa denied charges relating to two matches in the Dominican Republic in 2021.
A hearing was held in December 2024, from which AHO Young upheld the charges, issuing a five-year suspension and a fine of $3,000. The suspension is backdated to 3 October 2022, when Sosa was provisionally suspended by the International Tennis Federation, and will end on 2 October 2027.
Wellingthon Lopez denied charges relating to two matches in the Dominican Republic in 2019 and 2020.
A hearing was held in February 2025, from which AHO Young upheld the charges, issuing a four year and six months suspension and a fine of $1,000. The suspension is backdated to 27 October 2021, when Lopez was provisionally suspended by the International Tennis Federation, and will end on 26 April 2026.
During their periods of ineligibility, the individuals are prohibited from officiating at or attending any tennis event authorised or sanctioned by the members of the ITIA (ATP, ITF, WTA, Tennis Australia, Fédération Française de Tennis, Wimbledon and USTA) or any national association.
The ITIA is an independent body established by its tennis members to promote, encourage, enhance, and safeguard the integrity of their professional tennis events.
Click here to read the Rodriguez decision in full.
Click here to read the Sosa decision in full.
Click here to read the Lopez decision in full.
Ends
Published 11 April 2025 14:00
