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Whistle-Blower in White Sox Latin American Bonus Skimming Case Revealed

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The whistle-blower is Rafael Santana, 52, a Sox scout in the Dominican Republic and a former shortstop who was on the Mets’ 1986 championship team. Mr. Santana, who could not be reached, told Mr. Reinsdorf he was disturbed when he heard that David Wilder, who was then senior director of player personnel for the White Sox, forced young Dominicans to kick back portions of their signing bonuses. ... Mr. Santana’s boss was Mr. Wilder, so the perils of truth-telling were clear. Nervous, Mr. Santana sought advice from Jim Snyder, a respected organization veteran who was a special assistant for the team’s minor league coaches. Mr. Snyder called Mr. Reinsdorf. "He said I had to talk to our head guy in the Dominican, Rafael Santana, about something bad happening down there," Mr. Reinsdorf said. In late February 2008, they met in Tucson, then the Sox’s spring training site. "He told me that players told him they were forced to give Wilder some of their signing bonus," Mr. Reinsdorf said. He quickly called Robert DuPuy, then the president and chief operating officer of Major League Baseball, and Sheldon Zenner, a former federal prosecutor and partner at the team’s Chicago law firm, Katten Muchin Rosenman L.L.P.