Former Angels PR Director Charged In Tyler Skaggs Death

SANTA MONICA, CA — A former Los Angeles Angels employee is accused of distributing a fatal cocktail of drugs that led to pitcher Tyler Skaggs untimely death, officials report.

Public relations director Eric Kay, formerly of the Angels organization, surrendered to federal authorities in Texas Friday morning on a drug-distribution charge stemming from the overdose death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Dallas, Kay, 45, was charged with conspiracy to distribute a mixture containing detectable amounts of fentanyl. He was arrested in Forth Worth, Texas, and made his initial appearance before a federal judge Friday morning.

The U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox released a statement on the arrest, saying: "Tyler Skaggs's overdose – coming, as it did, amid an ascendant baseball career – should be a wakeup call: No one is immune from this deadly drug, whether sold as a powder or hidden inside an innocuous-looking tablet. Suppressing the spread of fentanyl is a priority for the Department of Justice."

The complaint was filed July 30 and unsealed Friday upon Kay's arrest, over one year after Skagg's death.

Skaggs, 27, was found dead in his hotel room at the Southlake Town Square Hilton on July 1, 2019. The Angels were staying at the hotel while in town to play the Texas Rangers.

Drug Enforcement Administration special agent Geoffrey Lindenberg wrote in court papers that Kay and others conspired to distribute fentanyl beginning in 2017.

Police recovered "several pills" appearing to be prescription drugs and a cell phone in the room. The pills were later determined to be fentanyl, the agent said. Blue pills found in the room were counterfeit, he added. Five pink pills found were legitimately manufactured, he said, and they did not contain fentanyl but were marked as oxycodone.

Kay was not the source of the pink pills, Lindenberg said.

Court documents detail a text-message exchange between Kay and Skaggs:

Kay: "Hoe (sic) many?"

Skaggs: "Just a few like 5"

Kay: "Word"

Skaggs: "Don't need many."

"During the course of the investigation, I learned that (Skaggs) and Kay had a history of narcotic transactions, including several exchanges wherein Kay acquired oxycodone pills for (Skaggs) and others from Kay's source(s) in the days leading up to and surrounding (Skaggs') overdose death," Lindenberg wrote in the affidavit.

"During the course of this investigation, I learned that several individuals who were associated with Kay and (Skaggs) knew that Kay provided pills to (Skaggs)," Lindenberg wrote. "These individuals confirmed that Kay would provide 30 milligram oxycodone pills to (Skaggs) and that at times, Kay, (Skaggs) and others would refer to these pills as `blues' or `blue boys' because they were blue in color. I also learned that Kay would distribute these pills to (Skaggs) and others in their place of employment and while they were working."

According to Lindenberg's affidavit, Kay initially denied knowledge of Skaggs' drug use, saying he was unsure if the pitcher used any narcotics except possibly marijuana.

Kay's attorney, Michael Molfetta, issued a statement saying what happened to his client was a "tragedy."

Molfetta said, "Now he will patiently wait for his opportunity to make his story known," and that his client would "wait for the appropriate time to address the allegation."

He decried "those who have elected to leak information and publicize documents," adding, "It serves to undermine the basic tenet of our system of justice, the dispassionate ascertainment of the truth."

He said, "The courtroom is the best and only place to litigate this matter. Our defense team is working diligently to bring the truth to light, and we thank you for your anticipated patience going forward."

Nicknamed "Swaggy," Skaggs, grew up in Woodland Hills, played baseball at Santa Monica High School, before he made his way to professional baseball. The Angels drafted him in 2009. He made his major league debut in August 2012. A left-handed pitcher, he underwent "Tommy John" surgery in 2014 after suffering an ulnar collateral ligament tear in his elbow.

His family was outraged at the organization, saying that the death was "completely out of character for someone who worked so hard to become a major league ballplayer."

Upon learning that an employee of the Los Angeles Angels was involved, the family released a statement in 2019, expressing their shock:

"We will not rest until we learn the truth about how Tyler came into possession of these narcotics, including who supplied them. To that end, we have hired attorney Rusty Hardin to assist us."

Skaggs is survived by his wife, Carli, whom he married in December of 2018. They had no children.

Skaggs was involved in the Santa Monica community, including his work with the Boys And Girls Club for more than 15 years. Across the street from Santa Monica High, an artist painted a mural across the street from the school to honor Skaggs' life.

- City News Service and Patch Editors Ashley Ludwig and Nicole Charky contributed to this report.

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