Los Angeles, Ca

Ohtani's former interpreter negotiating guilty plea: NYT

Published

2 years ago

April 11, 2024

Ohtani's former interpreter negotiating guilty plea: NYT

Ippei Mizuhara, the former translator for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, is purportedly negotiating a guilty plea with federal prosecutors, according to the New York Times.

Citing three sources briefed on the matter, the Times reports Mizuhara is expected to plead guilty following accusations that he used an illegal bookmaker to place bets on sports and racked up millions in debts that he later paid off using money stolen from the reigning American League MVP.

Mizuhara was fired by the Dodgers organization after federal investigators tied him to an ongoing investigation involving the alleged bookmaker, Mathew Bowyer, a resident of Orange County.

Betting on baseball in any way is banned by the MLB, as is using an illegal bookmaker or offshore website. Any sports bets placed in California are illegal, as the state has not legalized it.

Ippei Mizuhara watches as Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani poses for a portrait during a spring training baseball team photo day on Feb. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Ohtani has claimed he had no knowledge of his interpreter and close personal friend’s gambling debts or the misappropriation of his money to cover them.

Investigators initially described Ohtani as the victim of “massive theft,” with the amount stolen believed to be around $4.5 million. Now, according to the New York Times, that number might be even higher.

“Authorities think they have evidence that Mizuhara was able to change the settings on Ohtani’s bank account so Ohtani would not receive alerts and confirmations about transactions,” wrote Tim Arango and Michael S. Schmidt, citing the three people briefed on the matter.

The scandal broke just months after Ohtani signed the richest deal in professional sports history, a 10-year $700 million contract.

Shohei Ohtani talks with interpreter Ippei Mizuhara during the ninth inning of an opening day baseball game against the San Diego Padres in Seoul, South Korea Wednesday, March 20, 2024.(AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Mizuhara, 39, had sat down with ESPN for an exclusive interview in which he purportedly admitted to paying off his debts with Ohtani’s money, saying at first that Major League Baseball’s biggest star had offered.

He later walked back those comments and Ohtani held a press conference at Dodger Stadium in which he called his longtime ally and translator a liar.

“All of this has been a complete lie,” Ohtani said on March 25. “I never agreed to pay off the debt or make payments to the bookmaker.”

Ohtani and Mizuhara were once considered one of the great partnerships in American sports, having first met when the two-way star was a member of a Japanese baseball club. Mizuhara served as Ohtani’s catcher during the Home Run Derby at the 2021 MLB All-Star Game, accompanied him during hundreds of interviews, and planned to follow him from his previous team, the Los Angeles Angels, to the Dodgers.

After the accusations of theft came to light, more scrutiny has been directed toward the Southern California native’s background and resume.

A confirmed graduate of Diamond Bar High School in eastern Los Angeles County, Mizuhara had previously been identified as a graduate of UC Riverside. The university has since come forward to say it has no record of him graduating from the school, according to The Athletic.

His biography also identified him as the translator for Hideki Okajima when the Japanese pitcher played for the Boston Red Sox in 2010. The team now says that never happened either.

Both Mizuhara and Bowyer are under criminal investigation by the IRS, along with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Department of Homeland Security.

Major League Baseball launched its own investigation into Mizuhara’s alleged involvement in sports gambling, including whether Ohtani was a victim or a willing participant in the scheme.

Ohtani has pledged to cooperate fully with any investigation related to Mizuhara’s alleged illegal dealings. The Dodgers organization has since encouraged him to focus on the current baseball season and allow for the legal process to conclude, which, according to the New York Times, is expected soon.

Los Angeles, Ca

Ditch typing and note-taking – try these apps

Published

9 months ago

March 19, 2025

Press Room

Ditch typing and note-taking – try these apps

The future of voice to text is here.

I’ve been testing a variety of tools that make taking notes, transcribing audio, and even voice typing faster and easier than ever.

If you have a smartphone, you’re already halfway there!

Google’s Pixel Recorder app is free and built into their smartphone. It’s excellent for transcribing meetings, lectures, and conversations – all in real time.

Apple’s Voice Memos App recently added transcriptions if you’re upgraded to iOS 18.

Samsung’s Voice recorder app now offers transcripts too – as long as you’re on their latest One UI 7 software. (Check Settings > About Phone > Software Information)

Got an older phone? Try Otter.AI. It works great for transcriptions across devices and you get 300 minutes a month free.

Don’t want to tie up your phone?

I’ve been testing AI-powered digital audio recorders from a startup named Plaud.

The Plaud Note is thin, records for hours, and can even clip to the back of your phone to record calls. Just make sure you know your local laws before using that feature.

The Plaud Pin can be clipped to your shirt or worn on your wrist for hands-free recording.

Both devices sync audio to a companion app that auto transcribes and summarizes.

You get five hours of transcription a month included, with options to pay for more.

Pricing for each gadget starts around $160 dollars.

Want to transcribe audio files on your computer?

My favorite Mac app is MacWhisper. You can even get it completely free – although paid versions are avaialble with more features and options.

On Windows, check out Vibe Transcribe, also free.

And for a web-based option, Whisper Web gets the job done.

Finally, if you want to type less and talk more… there’s an excellent AI voice-to-text app called Wispr Flow. It was previously Mac only but just became avaialble for Windows, too.

One you install it, you pick a hotkey. Then, instead of typing just press and hold down that key and dictate what you want to write.

Since it uses the power of AI, you can even stumble or ramble and it will clean up your words and get the punctionation right.

It’s a gamechanger for responding to emails fast! You get 2,000 words free each week with options to pay for more.

Enjoy your newfound time!

Los Angeles, Ca

Prison officer survives alleged attack by inmate transferred from L.A. County

Published

9 months ago

March 18, 2025

Press Room

Prison officer survives alleged attack by inmate transferred from L.A. County

An alleged attack on a state prison officer by a 43-year-old inmate transferred from Los Angeles County is being investigated as attempted homicide, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation officials announced Tuesday.

The March 18 incident at Salinas Valley State Prison in Soledad reportedly unfolded just before 9 a.m. on what authorities describe as a “dayroom floor.”

The inmate, Anthony G. Ramirez, is believed to have pulled an improvised weapon from his waistband before attempting to attack custody staff member, according to a CDCR news release.

“Staff immediately responded, disarming Ramirez and placing him in handcuffs without incident,” the release detailed.

Anthony G. Ramiez, 43, seen in this undated mug shot. (CDCR)

The 43-year-old, who was transferred to SVSP in 2008 after being sentenced to life with the possibility of parole for second-degree murder, with enhancements for the use of a firearm and causing great bodily injury or death, was placed in restrictive housing pending the investigation and possible felony prosecution by the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office.

Both Ramirez and the custody staff member were examined by medical personnel who noted no serious injuries.

Officials said that the California Correctional Peace Officers Association was notified of the incident and prison staff were offered peer support services and employee assistance programs.

Salinas Valley State Prison, opened in 1996, houses more than 2,400 minimum, medium, maximum and high-security inmates. The facility also offers vocational programs and academic classes and employs some 1,800 people.

Los Angeles, Ca

Algal bloom sickening marine mammals off Southern California 'will only get worse'

Published

9 months ago

March 18, 2025

Press Room

Algal bloom sickening marine mammals off Southern California 'will only get worse'

A toxic algal bloom leaving an increasing number of marine mammals stranded along Southern California beaches shows no signs of subsiding and “will only get worse,” officials said Monday.

“This week, we saw more stranded dolphins (both alive and deceased) than we saw during the major domoic acid (DA) bloom in 2023,” Marine Mammal Care Center (MMCC) Los Angeles posted on Facebook.

Recent tests showed DA-producing algae levels have increased, and officials believe that trend will continue in the coming weeks. “We anticipate that it will only get worse,” the post read.

MMCC asked the public not to approach sick dolphins or sea lions on the beach because they can become aggressive upon awakening from a seizure.

A dolphin stranded at Dockweiler North is seen in an image posted on March 13, 2025. (L.A. County Fire Department, Lifeguard Division)

“This is a safety issue for people and their pets as much as it is for the marine mammals,” officials said.

Beachgoers were also urged not to push stranded dolphins back into the water, saying it can reduce their chances of survival.

More information about domoic-acid poisoning can be found at https://marinemammalcare.org/domoic-acid/.

The volume of sick marine mammals has also had a financial impact on the MMCC.

“Our team is working heroically to respond to every call and to rescue every animal they can. Please share this post and give now at marinemammalcare.org/donate to give these marine mammals a second chance at life!” the MMCC stated.

Anyone who encounters a sick or stranded marine mammal can alert the nearest lifeguard and call 1-800-39-WHALE to make a report.