Dykstra sentenced in bankruptcy fraud case

Potashner added that when Dykstra ran into financial troubles several years ago, he became a person who was out of control.

Pregerson tried to comprehend the host of legal problems facing Dykstra, including a recent nine-month sentence after he pleaded no contest to exposing himself to women he met through Craigslist.

"There's just a sort of spectrum of conduct I can't understand," Pregerson said. "What I am trying to understand is: Who is Mr. Dykstra?"

Dykstra's attorneys stressed their client has learned a valuable lesson and has paid a high price for his celebrity status. Potashner said in court that Dykstra was "beaten to a pulp" recently while in a Los Angeles County jail and had some teeth knocked out.

Steve Whitmore, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County sheriff's department, said there had been a fight involving Dykstra and some deputies in April after the former ball player had to be taken to a hospital for undisclosed reasons. Dykstra was the aggressor and had to be physically restrained, Whitmore said.

"The accusation the defense attorney is making in court is not accurate," said Whitmore, who added Dykstra suffered a bloody nose during the incident.

On Monday, Dykstra had about a dozen supporters in court, including his ex-wife and his son, Cutter, who is playing for the Washington Nationals' Single-A team in Maryland.

As the gray-haired Dykstra was being led away from court, he turned to the group and gave a thumbs-up.