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Recording captured ex-interpreter impersonating Ohtani to transfer $200,000, prosecutors say
Sports
AP

Recording captured ex-interpreter impersonating Ohtani to transfer $200,000, prosecutors say

  • By HALLIE GOLDEN - Associated Press
  • Updated

Federal prosecutors say a nearly four-minute audio recording allegedly captured Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara impersonating the baseball star on a call with a bank as he attempted to transfer $200,000. The recording referenced in a court filing Thursday by federal prosecutors is being used to back up a push for a nearly five-year sentence for Mizuhara. He previously pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud for stealing nearly $17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers star. Mizuhara’s attorney did not respond to an email from The Associated Press requesting comment. Mizuhara pleaded guilty in June to spending millions from Ohtani’s Arizona bank account to cover his growing gambling bets and debts with an illegal bookmaker.

White House would have many ways to upend lives of Trump's enemies
Politics & Elections
AP

White House would have many ways to upend lives of Trump's enemies

  • By BYRON TAU - Associated Press

For the many people considered enemies by President Donald Trump, his return to the White House has sparked anxiety about how much power he has to upend their lives. The White House has ways to reward friends or punish foes, putting aside the long expectation that federal agencies are supposed to act apolitically. Any lawsuits challenging attempts to wield government power will likely take years to resolve and offer little immediate comfort to those targeted.

Pakistan Politics
News
AP

Pakistan Politics

  • W.K. Yousufzai - stringer, ASSOCIATED PRESS

Security guards watch a vehicle carrying Bushra Bibi, wife of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan, as she arrives to hear verdict on corruption case in a court specially set up in Adiyala prison, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/W.K. Yousufzai)

Pakistan Politics
News
AP

Pakistan Politics

  • W.K. Yousufzai - stringer, ASSOCIATED PRESS

Security guards watch a vehicle carrying Bushra Bibi, wife of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan, as she arrives to hear verdict on corruption case in a court specially set up in Adiyala prison, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/W.K. Yousufzai)

Guatemala Jailed Journalist
News
AP

Guatemala Jailed Journalist

  • Moises Castillo - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS

Guatemalan journalist Jose Ruben Zamora, founder of El Periodico newspaper, leaves after judges suspended his court hearing to decide if he should be sent back to prison concerning a money laundering case in Guatemala City, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Guatemala Jailed Journalist
News
AP

Guatemala Jailed Journalist

  • Moises Castillo - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS

Guatemalan journalist Jose Ruben Zamora, founder of El Periodico newspaper, leaves after judges suspended his court hearing to decide if he should be sent back to prison concerning a money laundering case in Guatemala City, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Guatemala Jailed Journalist
News
AP

Guatemala Jailed Journalist

  • Moises Castillo - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS

A woman holds a sign that reads in Spanish: "Free Zamora" at a court hearing for Guatemalan journalist Jose Ruben Zamora, founder of El Periodico newspaper, in connection with a money laundering case in Guatemala City, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. The hearing was suspended. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Guatemala Jailed Journalist
News
AP

Guatemala Jailed Journalist

  • Moises Castillo - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS

Guatemalan journalist Jose Ruben Zamora, founder of El Periódico newspaper, arrives for his court hearing to decide if he will be sent back to prison concerning a money laundering case in Guatemala City, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Guatemala Jailed Journalist
News
AP

Guatemala Jailed Journalist

  • Moises Castillo - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS

Guatemalan journalist Jose Ruben Zamora, founder of El Periodico newspaper, arrives to court for his hearing to decide if he will be sent back to prison in connection with a money laundering case in Guatemala City, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

US 'notorious markets' report warns of risks from online pharmacies
Health
AP

US 'notorious markets' report warns of risks from online pharmacies

  • By ELAINE KURTENBACH - AP Business Writer
  • Updated

An annual U.S. government report on “notorious markets” known for counterfeiting and other violations of intellectual property says that nearly all 35,000 online pharmacies around the world are being run illegally. The report says of the 96% of online pharmacies found to be violating the law, many are operating without a license and selling medicines without prescriptions and safety warnings. It says the websites often look like legitimate e-commerce platforms, often with false claims that they have FDA approval. The U.S. Trade Representative’s annual report on theft of intellectual property also singled out 19 countries for concerns over counterfeit or pirated products and named dozens of online retailers allegedly engaged in selling counterfeit products.