California
Shohei Ohtani’s ex-interpreter has prison start postponed
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani who was supposed to begin his nearly five-year prison term on Monday, has had his surrender date postponed, according to federal prosecutors.
The reason for the change and Ippei Mizuhara ‘s new surrender date are under seal, Justice Department spokesperson Ciaran McEvoy said Monday.
Mizuhara was sentenced in federal court in Santa Ana last month to four years and nine months for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly $17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s bank account. He was supposed to surrender to authorities by Monday.
Mizuhara has pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud, and he has apologized to Ohtani, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the government and his family in court.
As an interpreter for arguably the world’s most famous baseball player, he was supposed to bridge the gap between the Japanese athlete and his English-speaking teammates and fans.
But behind the scenes, authorities said Mizuhara had started accessing Ohtani’s account beginning in 2021 and changed its security protocols so he could impersonate Ohtani to authorize wire transfers.
He has acknowledged using the money to cover his growing gambling bets and debts with an illegal bookmaker, in addition to $325,000 worth of baseball cards and his own dental bills.
Mizuhara had also been ordered to pay $18 million in restitution, with nearly $17 million going to Ohtani and the remainder to the IRS. He was sentenced to three years’ supervised release on top of the prison sentence.
Inside baseball, Mizuhara stood by Ohtani’s side for many of the athlete’s career highlights, from serving as his catcher during the Home Run Derby at the 2021 All-Star Game, to being there for his two American League MVP wins and his record-shattering $700 million, 10-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Off the field, Mizuhara was Ohtani’s friend and confidant. He famously resigned from the Los Angeles Angels during the 2021 MLB lockout so he could keep speaking to Ohtani, and he was rehired after a deal was struck.
This case has stoked an international media frenzy, and stemmed from a broader probe into illegal sports bookmaking organizations in Southern California and the laundering of proceeds through casinos in Las Vegas.
New Mexico
Two brothers sentenced in drive-by shooting that killed girl, 5
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Two teenage brothers were sentenced Monday to 20 years each in prison for their roles in a drive-by shooting that killed a 5-year-old Albuquerque girl in 2023, part of a spike in violence at the time that prompted the governor to declare a public health emergency.
Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham suspended the right to carry guns at public parks and playgrounds in New Mexico’s largest metro area as part of her declaration but ultimately ended the order a year later.
The state, however, continues to struggle with cases of violence at the hands of juvenile suspects in Albuquerque and elsewhere, with recent shootings and arrests in a deadly hit-and-run leaving communities shaken.
Prosecutors in Bernalillo County announced the sentences for the two brothers and a 16-year sentence for one of the other defendants in social media posts. Two other defendants received lesser sentences. All five had reached plea agreements with prosecutors.
In statements made in the court, the brothers apologized for the pain they had caused, Albuquerque television station KOB-TV reported.
The teens ranged in age from 15 to 19 when the shooting happened just before 6 a.m. on Aug. 13, 2023.
According to police, Galilea Samaniego was asleep along with her two sisters in a mobile home when the teens entered their community in two stolen vehicles and opened fire.
Another teenage boy living in the trailer home was their target, investigators said. They said the teen had a feud since middle school with one of the suspects and the dispute had escalated.
Police said several gunshots were fired from at least one of the vehicles toward the trailer. The girl was struck in the head and later died at a hospital.
California
Former UFC champion sentenced to 5 years for shooting
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former UFC champion Cain Velasquez was sentenced to five years in prison Monday for a shooting in 2022 where he chased after the man accused of molesting his son.
Velasquez was sentenced in Santa Clara County after he pled no contest to attempted murder, felony assault, and other related gun charges last August for what the district attorney’s office called a “vigilante shooting spree.” He will receive credit for time served.
In February 2022, the two-time UFC heavyweight champion fired a gun multiple times at a truck carrying three people, including 46-year-old Harry Goularte, who is facing felony child molestation charges, according to the district attorney’s office.
His defense attorney, Renee Hessling, called the result “bittersweet” as they had hoped to keep Velasquez out of prison.
“Throughout it all, Cain has shown courage and strength of character,” Hessling said in a statement. “He has taken responsibility for his actions and has been held accountable. The sentence handed down today reflects the complexities of the situation and acknowledges the man behind the headlines.”
Less than a week prior to the shooting, Goularte was arrested in connection to the sexual assault of a 4-year-old at the daycare owned by his family. He was released without bail a few days later. Officials said he was released under house arrest and was on his way to retrieve an electronic monitoring bracelet when Velasquez attacked.
Velasquez shot at Goularte’s truck in a car chase that lasted for 11 miles (17.7 kilometers), the district attorney’s office said. Goularte was uninjured, but his stepfather, who was driving, was hit twice.
Velasquez has said the sexual assault incident involved his child and is suing Goularte and his family’s daycare for negligence and sexual battery.
On his former teammate Kyle Kingsbury’s podcast, Velasquez said the way he handled the situation was “not the way to do it.”
“We cannot put the law in our own hands,” Velasquez said. “I know what I did, and I know what I did was very dangerous to other people, you know? Not just to people involved, but innocent people. I understand what I did and I’m willing to do everything I have to, to pay that back.”
Velasquez also said it was important to have open and honest with your kids about what kind of behavior is acceptable and listen to what they say.
“One man’s decision to take the law into his own hands left an innocent man wounded and endangered schoolchildren, teachers, and many others in our community,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement. “If you want to do justice in Santa Clara County, please apply for a badge.”
Virginia
Trump campaign manager sues the Daily Beast over stories on how much he earned
The co-manager of President Donald Trump’s successful 2024 campaign sued the Daily Beast for defamation Monday over stories regarding how much he was paid for his work.
The lawsuit on behalf of Chris LaCivita said the online publication’s stories that he was paid $22 million over two years — later corrected to $19.2 million — “created the false impression that Mr. LaCivita was personally profiting excessively from his work for the campaign and that he was prioritizing personal gain over the campaign’s success.”
The Daily Beast said it stood by its reporting and said the lawsuit “is meritless and a transparent attempt to intimidate the Beast and silence the independent press.”
Celebrity attorney Mark Geragos is representing LaCivita in the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Richmond, Virginia. The filing was first reported by Axios.
The case continues a trend of aggressive action taken against the news media by Trump and those in his orbit. Trump has sued CBS News for $20 billion over editing of a “60 Minutes” interview with his 2024 opponent, Kamala Harris, and sued the Des Moines Register over an Iowa election poll that turned out to be inaccurate. ABC News settled a lawsuit with Trump over its incorrect claim that the president had been found civilly liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll.
LaCivita, in his lawsuit, said the majority of the money paid by Trump to him and his firm, Advancing Strategies LLC, was to buy media ads. He alleges that the stories created a negative perception for him and his firm and hindered the ability to attract new clients.
In a letter to Geragos last month, the Daily Beast said it would request that Trump and several of his aides be made available for the discovery process. The company’s lawyer, Neil Rosenhouse, disputed the idea that LaCivita’s business had been hurt.
“The Beast’s reporting that the LLC earned millions of dollars by successfully managing President Trump’s campaign is not defamatory,” he wrote, “it is the opposite.”
New York
Student sues district for painting over her pro-Palestinian parking spot design
NEW YORK (AP) — A New York student is suing after high school officials painted over a parking spot that she had decorated with a watermelon slice — a symbol of support for Palestinians.
The lawsuit was filed this month in Brooklyn federal court and argues that the Half Hollow Hills Central School District violated the student’s free speech rights and inflicted emotional trauma on her when it painted over her design in September, just days into the new school year.
The student, who is identified in the suit by the pseudonym Jane Khan, had joined other classmates in decorating her parking spot — an annual tradition at Half Hollow Hills High School West — located on Long Island.
The senior painted a watermelon slice featuring a keffiyeh scarf-like pattern, followed by the phrase “Peace Be Upon You” and her name written in Arabic. The student is described as a Muslim American of Pakistani descent.
“Ms. Khan’s inclusion of the watermelon with a keffiyeh design was an expression of her solidarity with Palestinians -- something she feels arises in part from her Muslim identity and Pakistani heritage,” the suit explained.
The watermelon has long been a symbol of Palestinian solidarity as it contains the red, white and green colors of the Palestinian flag, which was banned by Israel in 1967, according to the lawsuit.
The suit, which seeks an unspecified amount of monetary damages, maintains the school erased the student’s decoration after the principal “interrogated” and “threatened” her in a closed office meeting and with “no meaningful dialogue” with her parents, other students or members of the Asian and Muslim communities.
The student’s lawyer provided a copy of the lawsuit but declined to comment further.
District officials didn’t respond to emails seeking comment Monday. They had said in September that the artwork was painted over in order to maintain neutrality on controversial political matters.
The suit, however, notes that the parking spot decorating tradition has embraced differing viewpoints in the past.
Students over the years have painted the LGBTQIA pride flag, a “Black Lives Matter” fist — even depictions of a donkey and an elephant, the symbols of the Democratic and Republican parties, according to the lawsuit.
“The whitewash of Plaintiff’s pro-Palestinian speech was not to prevent substantial disruption of any school activity or threatened harm to the rights of others, as Half Hollow permitted and even amplified speech on other equally, even more, controversial issues,” the lawsuit states.
Shohei Ohtani’s ex-interpreter has prison start postponed
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani who was supposed to begin his nearly five-year prison term on Monday, has had his surrender date postponed, according to federal prosecutors.
The reason for the change and Ippei Mizuhara ‘s new surrender date are under seal, Justice Department spokesperson Ciaran McEvoy said Monday.
Mizuhara was sentenced in federal court in Santa Ana last month to four years and nine months for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly $17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s bank account. He was supposed to surrender to authorities by Monday.
Mizuhara has pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud, and he has apologized to Ohtani, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the government and his family in court.
As an interpreter for arguably the world’s most famous baseball player, he was supposed to bridge the gap between the Japanese athlete and his English-speaking teammates and fans.
But behind the scenes, authorities said Mizuhara had started accessing Ohtani’s account beginning in 2021 and changed its security protocols so he could impersonate Ohtani to authorize wire transfers.
He has acknowledged using the money to cover his growing gambling bets and debts with an illegal bookmaker, in addition to $325,000 worth of baseball cards and his own dental bills.
Mizuhara had also been ordered to pay $18 million in restitution, with nearly $17 million going to Ohtani and the remainder to the IRS. He was sentenced to three years’ supervised release on top of the prison sentence.
Inside baseball, Mizuhara stood by Ohtani’s side for many of the athlete’s career highlights, from serving as his catcher during the Home Run Derby at the 2021 All-Star Game, to being there for his two American League MVP wins and his record-shattering $700 million, 10-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Off the field, Mizuhara was Ohtani’s friend and confidant. He famously resigned from the Los Angeles Angels during the 2021 MLB lockout so he could keep speaking to Ohtani, and he was rehired after a deal was struck.
This case has stoked an international media frenzy, and stemmed from a broader probe into illegal sports bookmaking organizations in Southern California and the laundering of proceeds through casinos in Las Vegas.
New Mexico
Two brothers sentenced in drive-by shooting that killed girl, 5
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Two teenage brothers were sentenced Monday to 20 years each in prison for their roles in a drive-by shooting that killed a 5-year-old Albuquerque girl in 2023, part of a spike in violence at the time that prompted the governor to declare a public health emergency.
Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham suspended the right to carry guns at public parks and playgrounds in New Mexico’s largest metro area as part of her declaration but ultimately ended the order a year later.
The state, however, continues to struggle with cases of violence at the hands of juvenile suspects in Albuquerque and elsewhere, with recent shootings and arrests in a deadly hit-and-run leaving communities shaken.
Prosecutors in Bernalillo County announced the sentences for the two brothers and a 16-year sentence for one of the other defendants in social media posts. Two other defendants received lesser sentences. All five had reached plea agreements with prosecutors.
In statements made in the court, the brothers apologized for the pain they had caused, Albuquerque television station KOB-TV reported.
The teens ranged in age from 15 to 19 when the shooting happened just before 6 a.m. on Aug. 13, 2023.
According to police, Galilea Samaniego was asleep along with her two sisters in a mobile home when the teens entered their community in two stolen vehicles and opened fire.
Another teenage boy living in the trailer home was their target, investigators said. They said the teen had a feud since middle school with one of the suspects and the dispute had escalated.
Police said several gunshots were fired from at least one of the vehicles toward the trailer. The girl was struck in the head and later died at a hospital.
California
Former UFC champion sentenced to 5 years for shooting
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former UFC champion Cain Velasquez was sentenced to five years in prison Monday for a shooting in 2022 where he chased after the man accused of molesting his son.
Velasquez was sentenced in Santa Clara County after he pled no contest to attempted murder, felony assault, and other related gun charges last August for what the district attorney’s office called a “vigilante shooting spree.” He will receive credit for time served.
In February 2022, the two-time UFC heavyweight champion fired a gun multiple times at a truck carrying three people, including 46-year-old Harry Goularte, who is facing felony child molestation charges, according to the district attorney’s office.
His defense attorney, Renee Hessling, called the result “bittersweet” as they had hoped to keep Velasquez out of prison.
“Throughout it all, Cain has shown courage and strength of character,” Hessling said in a statement. “He has taken responsibility for his actions and has been held accountable. The sentence handed down today reflects the complexities of the situation and acknowledges the man behind the headlines.”
Less than a week prior to the shooting, Goularte was arrested in connection to the sexual assault of a 4-year-old at the daycare owned by his family. He was released without bail a few days later. Officials said he was released under house arrest and was on his way to retrieve an electronic monitoring bracelet when Velasquez attacked.
Velasquez shot at Goularte’s truck in a car chase that lasted for 11 miles (17.7 kilometers), the district attorney’s office said. Goularte was uninjured, but his stepfather, who was driving, was hit twice.
Velasquez has said the sexual assault incident involved his child and is suing Goularte and his family’s daycare for negligence and sexual battery.
On his former teammate Kyle Kingsbury’s podcast, Velasquez said the way he handled the situation was “not the way to do it.”
“We cannot put the law in our own hands,” Velasquez said. “I know what I did, and I know what I did was very dangerous to other people, you know? Not just to people involved, but innocent people. I understand what I did and I’m willing to do everything I have to, to pay that back.”
Velasquez also said it was important to have open and honest with your kids about what kind of behavior is acceptable and listen to what they say.
“One man’s decision to take the law into his own hands left an innocent man wounded and endangered schoolchildren, teachers, and many others in our community,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement. “If you want to do justice in Santa Clara County, please apply for a badge.”
Virginia
Trump campaign manager sues the Daily Beast over stories on how much he earned
The co-manager of President Donald Trump’s successful 2024 campaign sued the Daily Beast for defamation Monday over stories regarding how much he was paid for his work.
The lawsuit on behalf of Chris LaCivita said the online publication’s stories that he was paid $22 million over two years — later corrected to $19.2 million — “created the false impression that Mr. LaCivita was personally profiting excessively from his work for the campaign and that he was prioritizing personal gain over the campaign’s success.”
The Daily Beast said it stood by its reporting and said the lawsuit “is meritless and a transparent attempt to intimidate the Beast and silence the independent press.”
Celebrity attorney Mark Geragos is representing LaCivita in the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Richmond, Virginia. The filing was first reported by Axios.
The case continues a trend of aggressive action taken against the news media by Trump and those in his orbit. Trump has sued CBS News for $20 billion over editing of a “60 Minutes” interview with his 2024 opponent, Kamala Harris, and sued the Des Moines Register over an Iowa election poll that turned out to be inaccurate. ABC News settled a lawsuit with Trump over its incorrect claim that the president had been found civilly liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll.
LaCivita, in his lawsuit, said the majority of the money paid by Trump to him and his firm, Advancing Strategies LLC, was to buy media ads. He alleges that the stories created a negative perception for him and his firm and hindered the ability to attract new clients.
In a letter to Geragos last month, the Daily Beast said it would request that Trump and several of his aides be made available for the discovery process. The company’s lawyer, Neil Rosenhouse, disputed the idea that LaCivita’s business had been hurt.
“The Beast’s reporting that the LLC earned millions of dollars by successfully managing President Trump’s campaign is not defamatory,” he wrote, “it is the opposite.”
New York
Student sues district for painting over her pro-Palestinian parking spot design
NEW YORK (AP) — A New York student is suing after high school officials painted over a parking spot that she had decorated with a watermelon slice — a symbol of support for Palestinians.
The lawsuit was filed this month in Brooklyn federal court and argues that the Half Hollow Hills Central School District violated the student’s free speech rights and inflicted emotional trauma on her when it painted over her design in September, just days into the new school year.
The student, who is identified in the suit by the pseudonym Jane Khan, had joined other classmates in decorating her parking spot — an annual tradition at Half Hollow Hills High School West — located on Long Island.
The senior painted a watermelon slice featuring a keffiyeh scarf-like pattern, followed by the phrase “Peace Be Upon You” and her name written in Arabic. The student is described as a Muslim American of Pakistani descent.
“Ms. Khan’s inclusion of the watermelon with a keffiyeh design was an expression of her solidarity with Palestinians -- something she feels arises in part from her Muslim identity and Pakistani heritage,” the suit explained.
The watermelon has long been a symbol of Palestinian solidarity as it contains the red, white and green colors of the Palestinian flag, which was banned by Israel in 1967, according to the lawsuit.
The suit, which seeks an unspecified amount of monetary damages, maintains the school erased the student’s decoration after the principal “interrogated” and “threatened” her in a closed office meeting and with “no meaningful dialogue” with her parents, other students or members of the Asian and Muslim communities.
The student’s lawyer provided a copy of the lawsuit but declined to comment further.
District officials didn’t respond to emails seeking comment Monday. They had said in September that the artwork was painted over in order to maintain neutrality on controversial political matters.
The suit, however, notes that the parking spot decorating tradition has embraced differing viewpoints in the past.
Students over the years have painted the LGBTQIA pride flag, a “Black Lives Matter” fist — even depictions of a donkey and an elephant, the symbols of the Democratic and Republican parties, according to the lawsuit.
“The whitewash of Plaintiff’s pro-Palestinian speech was not to prevent substantial disruption of any school activity or threatened harm to the rights of others, as Half Hollow permitted and even amplified speech on other equally, even more, controversial issues,” the lawsuit states.
