Prosecutors want 2½-year prison term for Dykstra

Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles are asking that former All-Star outfielder and former Ventura County resident Lenny Dykstra serve a 2½-year prison sentence for pleading guilty to bankruptcy fraud and money laundering.



Dykstra is a three-time All-Star who played with the Mets and Philadelphia Phillies before gaining notoriety as an investment advice columnist for

His finances crumbled soon before he filed for bankruptcy protection in summer 2009. After filing, federal investigators alleged, he sold more than $400,000 worth of property belonging to the bankruptcy estate without the trustee's permission. Authorities accused him of removing furnishings and fixtures from the multimillion-dollar Thousand Oaks estate he bought from hockey legend Wayne Gretzky and taking them to a consignment store.

Federal investigators also thought Dykstra removed personal property from the office he was renting in a hangar at the Camarillo Airport. He stored granite sinks, cabinets, four flat-screen TVs, antiques and a wine cooler in the office during the lease period, the property manager told FBI investigators.

The Lake Sherwood mansion was auctioned in November 2010.


He is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 3.