Rijo charged with money laundering in Dominican

Jose Rijo, the 1990 World Series MVP, is allegedly in trouble with the law in his native Dominican Republic, according to a report by The Associated Press.

Prosecutor Soraime Vargas announced at a news conference on Monday that Rijo has been charged with money laundering for suspected drug trafficker Avelino Castro, with about 80 percent of Castro's assets being in Rijo's name. Prosecutors did not seek to arrest Rijo, but have asked a court to order him to stay in the country, the AP reported.

Authorities became interested in Rijo while conducting an investigation into the kidnapping and killing of Dominican journalist Jose Silvestre, allegedly on Castro's orders.

Rijo, 47, signed with the Yankees out of the Dominican as an amateur free agent in 1980 and debuted with New York in '84. He later played for the A's and Reds, helping Cincinnati win the 1990 World Series and later making the '94 National League All-Star team. Rijo last pitched in the Majors in 2002, finishing his career with a 116-91 record and a 3.24 ERA.

He later worked for the Nationals as a special assistant to then-general manager Jim Bowden, but he was dismissed in February 2009.