Washington GM Jim Bowden said Sunday he was resigning because he'd become a distraction to his club. (Haraz N. Ghanbari/Associated Press)

Washington Nationals general manager Jim Bowden has announced his resignation.

The only GM the club has had since moving from Montreal to America's capital before the 2005 season, Bowden was reported a week ago to be part of a federal investigation into the skimming of signing bonuses given to Dominican Republic prospects.

"I've become a distraction," he said, in a statement released Sunday morning.

"My resignation is based upon my realization that my ability to properly represent the Washington Nationals has been compromised because of false allegations contained in the press."

Bowden went on to say he was disappointed by the media reports surrounding an investigation into his activities.

"There have been no charges made, and there has been no indication that parties have found any wrongdoing on my part."

FBI investigators looking into the alleged scam involving the passing back of some signing monies from Dominican prospects, interviewed Bowden last year though nothing of those meetings has been released.

Washington has been among the worst teams in baseball over the past few years, posting the league low record of 59-102 in 2008.

Bowden was charged with driving under the influence in Florida back in 2006, and he touched on that in Sunday's statement.

"Like anyone else, I have made mistakes in all areas of my personal and professional life, but I leave here with the true belief that I have done nothing intentionally to harm the Washington Nationals or Major League Baseball," he said.

This most recent move came two days after the Nats fired Bowden's special assistant, Jose Rijo.

The Associated Press reported Rijo's exit was the fallout from a Major League Baseball investigation that found a top baseball prospect from the Dominican who signed for a $1.4-million US bonus, had lied about both his age and his name.

Nationals president Stan Kasten said Sunday the team wanted to "honour the integrity of the game," and reiterated that "Jim has maintained his innocence, but recognized that he had become a distraction."

When Bowden signed on as the GM in Cincinnati back in 1992 at the age of 31, he became the youngest man ever to hold that position with a major league team.

Three years later, the Reds reached the National League Championship Series.

With files from the Associated Press