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Wife's Actions Hurtful, Player Says

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By KATIE CORONADO

kcoronado@wfla.com

Published: March 28, 2009

Updated: 03/28/2009 12:36 am

Though he still isn't saying much publicly, Pittsburgh Pirates minor-league outfielder Jose Tabata read a statement Friday afternoon expressing hurt about how his wife, Amalia Tabata Pereira, "lied to me."
Pereira is accused of posing as an immigration official to take a baby belonging to Andres Cruz and his girlfriend, Rosa Sirilo-Francisco.

Standing by the batting cages at Pirate City, where he was practicing with the Pirates' AA affiliate, Tabata said he was particularly hurt that Pereira "completely falsified her pregnancy and the eventual birth of a baby girl, which would have made me a father for the first time. Imagine how that made me feel."

He said he asked himself what his hero, Pirates Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente, would do in his shoes.

Tabata said he could not take any questions from reporters because of the pending investigation. He read his statement in Spanish. Here is the complete English text of his comments:

"I was completely surprised when I was told my wife had been arrested this Tuesday because she never showed any malicious behavior. I had no idea what to think. Because this news was one of the hardest blows I have had in my life and I don't have many words that effectively communicate all of my feelings at the time. What I do know is that I am a Pittsburgh Pirate and my lifelong idol is Roberto Clemente and because of that, when presented with this difficult situation I asked myself, 'What would Clemente do in this situation?'

"I know Clemente was a man known for his decency and responsibility doing what he says, and always doing the correct thing. And I believe the only correct thing in this moment is to tell the truth.

"The truth is that my wife told me many lies that until this whole situation began, I did not know. One that hurt me a lot was her history as a criminal, that she had spent years in prison, that she had robbed and committed fraud. But the worst lie was that she completely falsified her pregnancy and the eventual birth of a baby girl, which would have made me a father for the first time. Imagine how that made me feel.

"As you and the Pirates fans get to know me, you'll understand that when this is all over, I will never be able to forgive her for her cruel actions.

"You will also understand that I will do everything possible, with the support of God and my family, here with the Pirates, to overcome this craziness. The truth is that I would never wish this situation on anybody, but I know that life has its good and its bad and I know that the good times are not too far off in the future.

"With respect to my wife's case, I like you have questions that remain unanswered. However the sheriff's deputies have told me not to speak about the details about her criminal case, including the details of our history together and the lies she led me to believe about her. Therefore, I will not be able to comment further or answer any other questions until the investigation is complete."

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