Lenny Dykstra pleads not guilty

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Ex-major league outfielder Lenny Dykstra has pleaded not guilty to grand theft auto and drug possession charges in California.

Dykstra, already facing federal charges of destroying property related to his bankruptcy case, pleaded not guilty to 25 counts of grand theft auto, possession of a controlled substance and filing false financial statements on Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court.

California prosecutors allege Dykstra; his accountant, Robert Hymers; and a co-defendant, Christopher Gavanais, leased luxury cars using false information and claimed credit through a phony business. Hymers and Gavanis also pleaded not guilty Monday.

It is further alleged that investigators found cocaine, Ecstasy and synthetic human growth hormone when they searched Dykstra's residence following his arrest in April.

Dykstra, who went to the World Series with the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies and won a championship with the Mets in 1986, faces up to 12 years in prison if convicted on all counts. He is being held on $500,000 bond.

Dykstra also is facing federal charges alleging that he sold or destroyed more than $400,000 worth of items from his $18 million mansion without the permission of a bankruptcy trustee. He faces up to 80 years in prison if convicted on that charge.

Dykstra filed for bankruptcy two years ago, claiming he owed more than $31 million and had only $50,000 in assets.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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