New York (CNN) -- It cost Alex Rodriguez nearly $1 million to buy his cousin's silence on "very sensitive" matters, according to court documents. The Yankees star paid his cousin and former personal assistant Yuri Sucart $900,000 in 2013 and gave him and his family medical insurance, a 2009 Chevrolet Suburban and a 5-bedroom house, in return for Sucart keeping quiet on confidential matters, said documents filed in federal court in Miami. The alleged hush money came in response to a December 2012 letter from Sucart's attorney, Jeffrey Sonn, threatening a lawsuit and demanding $5 million and a "life estate" for his client.
@highlight
Alex Rodriguez paid his cousin $900,000 in return for his silence, prosecutors say
@highlight
The cousin's lawyer says money was a settlement for a breached employment agreement
@highlight
Court papers link the cousin to a clinic at the center of baseball's doping scandal
@highlight
The cousin introduced Rodriguez to the founder of the clinic, the documents say
The letter and subsequent agreement between @placeholder and Sucart were presented as evidence to support the prosecution's argument that Sucart had lied on a financial document about his ability to pay for a court-appointed attorney.