Lenny Dykstra, the former New York Mets star, was sentenced to three years in prison on Monday after he pleaded no contest to grand theft auto. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Cynthia Ulfig denied Dykstra’s motion to withdraw his plea. In October 2011, Dykstra pleaded no contest to three counts of grand theft auto and filed a false financial statement. Prosecutors claimed Dykstra and two co-defendants had been trying to lease various high-end automobiles from several area dealerships by providing fraudulent information claiming credit through a phony business since January 2011. Assisting Dykstra with the crime was his accountant, Robert Hymer, 27, and a friend, Christopher Gavanis, 30.
Dykstra was arrested in April 2011 and during his arrest, Los Angeles police detectives searched his home and reportedly found cocaine and ecstasy along with somatropin, a synthetic human growth hormone. He was also indicted in May 2011 on federal charges, which includes obstruction of justice for allegedly taking more than $400,000 in property and lying about it under oath. Dykstra, 49, was drafted by the Mets when he graduated high school in 1981. “Nails,” as Dykstra was nicknamed, hit a home run in game 3 of the 1986 World Series at Boston’s Fenway Park after the Mets lost the first two games. Dykstra’s home run ignited fire in his team, who was victorious over the Boston Red Sox in a seven-game series.
