Luis Rodriguez, Antonio Sosa, and Wellingthon Lopez have been charged with corruption, all denying allegations related to breaches occurring between 2018 and 2021. The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) stated that the officials manipulated match scoring devices to enable betting activities, violating the Tennis Anti-Corruption Programme (TACP).
Rodriguez faced serious charges related to six matches in the Dominican Republic from 2018 to 2020. After a hearing in December 2024, he was found guilty. Independent anti-corruption hearing officer Richard Young imposed a lifetime ban and a $15,000 (£11,386/€13,184) fine, effective from January 21 this year. Young emphasized that Rodriguez, as a chair umpire, had a crucial role in maintaining the sport's integrity and that his actions represented more than a mere lapse in judgment.
Sosa, on the other hand, denied involvement in two matches in the Dominican Republic in 2021. Young upheld the charges against him in a December hearing, resulting in a five-year suspension and a $3,000 fine. The suspension was backdated to October 2022, allowing Sosa to return to officiating in October 2027.
Lopez also denied charges related to two matches in the Dominican Republic in 2019 and 2020. Following a hearing in February, Young upheld the charges, leading to a suspension of four-and-a-half years and a $1,000 fine. This suspension is also backdated to October 2021, which means Lopez is ineligible to officiate until April next year.
These recent charges come on the heels of the ITIA's earlier sanctions against five players linked to a match-fixing syndicate in Belgium. Yannick Thivant, Thomas Brechemier, Gabriel Petit, Thomas Setodji, and Hugo Daubias have all received bans or suspensions for corruption offenses that occurred during 2017 or 2018. All cases are connected to the notorious match-fixing syndicate overseen by Grigor Sargsyan.
