Lenny Dykstra's Many Run-Ins With The Law Explained

Lenny Dykstra's MLB career had him painted as an incredible baseball player. According to StatMuse, Dykstra was averaging an incredible .285 batting average that helped him get 81 career home runs as he played for the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets. Dykstra even went on to win a World Series in 1986. While it seemed like Dykstra was set up for success, his career was quickly tainted by steroid use and other illegal activity.

In 2007, Dykstra and other famous MLB player's secret drug abuse was made public in the Mitchell Report, per NJ. Created by U.S. Senator George Mitchell, the report investigated players accused of using steroids in the MLB. Instead of showing remorse about his drug abuse issues with the performance-enhancing drug, Dykstra has proudly spoken about using steroids. NJ reported the former Phillies star spoke about his use of drugs in Randall Lane's book, "The Zeroes: My Misadventures in the Decade Wall Street Went Insane." Dykstra said, "You know, I was like a pioneer for that stuff. The juice. I was like the very first to do that. Me and (Jose) Canseco." In an interview on "The Herd with Colin Cowherd," he even joked he put the drug in his cereal. Dykstra's reasoning behind taking the drug was because of the money you can make in the MLB and knowing if he didn't take them, someone else would.

While the drug use was a huge reason for Dykstra's career to come to an end, it wasn't the only time he has had run-ins with the law.

Lenny Dykstra has a long history of coming face to face with various allegations of mistreatment toward women. In 1999, the former MLB star faced "misdemeanor charges of sexual battery and child annoyance," per CBS. The 17 year old, who worked at his car wash, alleged that Dykstra had touched her inappropriately over her clothes. The court ended up clearing Dykstra of all charges because there was insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt he did what the teenager claimed.

This wasn't the last time Dykstra was accused of making unwanted sexual advances. In 2011, one of his housekeepers alleged the former MLB player had sexually assaulted her, per Los Angeles Times. The housekeeper claimed that Dykstra "forced her to give him oral sex on Saturdays." Dykstra denied all the accusations and claimed the woman was only using him to get money and buy drugs. In the end, prosecutors didn't file charges due to the lack of evidence that the oral sex was forced.

According to Reuters, Dykstra saw another run-in with the law in 2011 after he was charged with indecent exposure on accusations he exposed himself to six women. Frank Mateljan, Los Angeles City Attorney's spokesman, shared that the Mets player posted on Craigslist listing a job as his housekeeper. However, that wasn't his true intention. Mateljan said, "He [Dykstra] would inform them that they also needed to give him a massage, and then he would take off his clothes and expose himself to them."

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

MLB players who faced trouble with the law are not uncommon. However, Lenny Dykstra has had more legal trouble than most. Even after he was cleared of several accusations and charges, the MLB star still ended up in handcuffs. In 2012, Dykstra was sentenced to three years in prison "after pleading no contest to grand theft auto and providing a false financial statement," per NJ. The former Phillies star leased luxury vehicles using false information that would indicate he had enough credit for the vehicles. 

In addition to the grand theft auto sentencing, he was also sentenced to six and a half months in federal custody due to bankruptcy fraud, concealment of assets, and money laundering, per CNN. The outlet shared, "Dykstra was accused of removing, destroying, and selling property that was part of the bankruptcy estate without the permission of the bankruptcy trustee." Even after being released from prison, Dykstra continued to find ways to find himself back in handcuffs.

According to NJ, in 2018, Dykstra was once again arrested, this time for allegedly threatening an Uber driver. The Uber driver claimed Dykstra "pulled out a weapon, pointed it at the man's head and threatened to kill him" after the driver refused to change Dykstra's drop-off destination, NJ reported. Cops arrested the former MLB star, and while they didn't find him in possession of a weapon, they did find cocaine, marijuana, and ecstasy, according to a police statement. Sportscasting reports that the possession charges were dropped, and he pleaded guilty to threatening the driver. He was ordered to pay a fine, but faced no additional jail time. This was the latest incident in Dykstra's long line of criminal history.