TJ Quinn: A-Rod Paid For Bosch Attorney

ESPN.com's T.J. Quinn continued his fine investigative reporting tonight with a story he broke a short time ago. According to Quinn, Alex Rodriguez paid for Biogenesis head Tony Bosch's attorney and later wired $50K that the attorney would not accept.

One of A-Rod's former attorneys described the latter transfer as "a mistake", but it is reportedly part of Major League Baseball's pile of evidence about A-Rod. Here is an excerpt of Quinn's story:

A spokesperson for Bosch attorney Susy Ribero-Ayala said in a statement to "Outside the Lines" on Sunday that Rodriguez, currently appealing a 211-game suspension from MLB, paid her a $25,000 retainer to defend Bosch in February. Bosch was the founder of the now-defunct Biogenesis clinic in Coral Gables, Fla., at the center of the league's ongoing drug scandal. "A retainer was paid (via wire transfer) by a representative of Alex Rodriquez (sic). Ms. Ribero-Ayala accepted this payment on behalf of Anthony Bosch as payment for his legal representation," the statement says.

"In April 2013, Ms. Ribero-Ayala received an unsolicited and unwarranted wire transfer from A-Rod Corp. The funds were immediately returned. Mr. Rodriquez (sic) does not have any involvement in Mr. Bosch's legal representation." According to documents seen by "Outside the Lines," the amount of the second transfer was for nearly $50,000, minus transfer fees.

The documents also show that Ribero-Ayala and Jared Lopez, a partner with Roy Black's law firm in Miami, exchanged emails discussing the wire transfer. Black's firm was representing Rodriguez at the time. 

According to the document, Ribero-Ayala said she had received the money and was unaware of any reason for it. Lopez responded that the money had been sent in error, and he asked that it be returned. It was.Black's firm no longer represents Rodriguez, and Lopez could not be reached Sunday night. The documents and the statement from Ribero-Ayala's office appear to contradict earlier reports that Bosch sought to "shake down" Rodriguez for money before agreeing to cooperate with MLB's investigation in June. 

Instead, several sources familiar with the case said, investigators have said they believe Rodriguez paid for Bosch's attorney and sent the second payment in order to prevent him from providing evidence or testimony against Rodriguez.¹

The outcome of this soap opera has a long way to go and got emotionally charged Sunday night when Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Ryan Dempster hit A-Rod with a pitch after throwing behind his legs and two other pitches inside and tight. Joe Girardi was ejected for arguing after home plate umpire Brian O'Nora ignored the obvious intent of the pitches and warned both benches. A-Rod got a measure of revenge later in the game when he hit a solo home run off of Dempster.

1 - ESPN.com