Report: Abreu paid agents $5.76M after Cuban defection

Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu allegedly paid a substantial sum to defect from Cuba in an effort to live his dream of playing Major League Baseball

Abreu allegedly transferred almost $5.8 million to people who helped in his defection from Cuba in 2013, according to Jared S. Hopkins of the Chicago Tribune, who cites federal prosecutors.

Abreu signed a six-year, $68-million contract with the White Sox in October 2013.

Included among the beneficiaries of the payments was Abreu's former agent Bart Hernandez, who was indicted in February on human trafficking charges.

Hernandez's indictment details how payments were made by smugglers to help Abreu and others find their way to the U.S. using falsification of documents, including fake passports.

In exchange for these services, players were instructed to make large payments to those who helped them escape.

Hopkins reports Abreu was believed to have left Cuba in August 2013 and, according to prosecutors, was smuggled into Haiti. He then used a fake passport with a false name to fly to Miami, where he later signed his long-term deal.

Prosecutors wrote in the indictment that someone listed by the initials J.A.C - Abreu's full name is Jose Dariel (Correa) Abreu - was asked to wire three separate payments of $2.4 million, $2 million, and $1.36 million into an account controlled by Julio Estrada, who worked with Hernandez for close to a decade.

Hernandez and Estrada - who was also indicted - could face up to 35 and 45 years in prison, respectively, if convicted on all charges.

The allegations in the indictment come as part of a larger scenario involving human trafficking, which has allegedly included players such as the Seattle Mariners' Leonys Martin and the Philadelphia Phillies' Dalier Hinojosa.