Fairly Legal

2:22 PM PT -- Ippei Mizuhara showed up to his court appearance with shackles around his ankles ... although the chains were ultimately removed as the hearing got underway.

During the proceedings, Mizuhara -- wearing a dark-colored suit -- learned he will be released on $25,000 bond ... but he will have to abide by a myriad of conditions in order to stay out of custody -- including no gambling whatsoever.

Mizuhara will also have to enroll in a gamblers addiction treatment program ... as well as, among other stipulations, have no communication with Shohei Ohtani.

Caitlyn Jenner is refusing to apologize for her blunt statement regarding O.J. Simpson's death, and she's calling out those who say she's just like him ... due to a deadly car wreck.

The Olympian faced a barrage of negative comments after she celebrated O.J.'s passing ... writing "Good Riddance" in a curt statement on X. In response, many slammed Caitlyn -- and compared her to Simpson by calling her a killer for her involvement in a 2015 fatal car accident.

Caitlyn responded to the criticism Friday, defending she is nothing like the controversial NFL star -- who was found liable in a 1996 civil trial for the killing of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman.

Caitlyn Jenner se niega a disculparse por su contundente declaración sobre la muerte de O.J. Simpson, y está criticando a los que dicen que es igual a él, debido a un trágico accidente vehicular en el que estuvo involucrada hace algunos años.

La atleta olímpica se enfrentó a un aluvión de comentarios negativos después de que comentara el fallecimiento de O.J., con el mensaje: "Good Riddance" / "Buen viaje" en X. En respuesta a ello, muchos criticaron a Caitlyn y la compararon con Simpson llamándola asesina por su participación en un fatal accidente automovilístico en 2015.

Caitlyn respondió a las críticas el viernes, defendiendo que no se parece en nada a la controvertida estrella de la NFL, quien fue declarado responsable en un juicio civil de 1996 por el asesinato de Nicole Brown Simpson y Ron Goldman.

Two of the attorneys connected to O.J. Simpson's infamous criminal trial are reflecting on the case's lasting impact on the justice system, and society at large ... and they view key issues from the trial very differently.

Gloria Allred, famed attorney and women's rights advocate, joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live" to share her memories of representing Nicole Brown Simpson's family.

Allred recalled the moment Simpson was acquitted -- she was in court, sitting next to Nicole's father and her sister, Denise -- and despite the verdict, she says she was confident he had killed Nicole and Ron Goldman.

It's the Ford Bronco behind one of the most jaw-dropping moments in TV history ... transporting O.J. Simpson and his friend Al Cowlings during a wild 90-minute police chase back in '94.

But, the infamous vehicle's no longer in the fast lane, as it's simply on display at the Alcatraz East Crime Museum in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee ... where visitors can get a close-up look at the ride that captivated the country.

It's been a bumpy journey, though, going from L.A.'s 405 freeway to its final resting place in Tennessee -- it's a path that was detailed on a 2017 episode of "Pawn Stars."

Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara has just been charged with a felony ... after federal prosecutors say they discovered he stole nearly $20 million from the MLB superstar to, in part, pay off his massive gambling debts.

The United States Department of Justice just announced the filing ... saying at a news conference in Los Angeles on Thursday they were formally hitting Mizuhara with one count of bank fraud.

Prosecutors say he faces a maximum of up to 30 years in prison if convicted.

According to the DOJ, an investigation into allegations that Mizuhara had stolen from Ohtani revealed Ippei snatched some of the Dodgers star's funds via an account he had helped the two-way player set up back in 2018.

Authorities say Mizuhara illegally accessed the account after amassing a gambling debt. They said he then wired transfers from it totaling around $16 million to bookmakers. They added that from January 2024 to March 2024, he also used the account to buy roughly $325,000 worth of baseball cards.

The DOJ said during its investigation, they found Ohtani had no knowledge of what was going on.

"In an interview last week with law enforcement," the feds said in a statement, "Ohtani denied authorizing Mizuhara’s wire transfers. Ohtani provided his cellphone to law enforcement, who determined that there was no evidence to suggest that Ohtani was aware of, or involved in, Mizuhara’s illegal gambling activity or payment of those debts."

Prosecutors said they believe Mizuhara never made any bets on baseball.

For Ohtani's part, he's been adamant throughout this entire process that he committed no wrongdoing ... saying in a press conference last month, "I'm very saddened and shocked that someone who I trusted has done this."

O.J. Simpson's death might have shocked the world ... but, it didn't come as a surprise to his close friends -- who TMZ has learned came to Las Vegas to say their final farewells.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us ... those who remained in O.J.'s inner circle flew into Vegas over the last week to see him before he passed. Unclear exactly how many friends, or who showed up, but we're told a handful of people came to Sin City and got to see O.J.

We're told Simpson was communicating just fine and was able to talk with his pals ... but, our sources say they all knew the end was coming, and that this would be their last chance to get some face time.

Drake's officially out of all Astroworld lawsuits ... a judge granted a motion for summary judgment, and has dismissed all the claims against him.

According to court documents obtained by TMZ ... a judge in Harris County, Texas heard the arguments and decided to dismiss all claims against Drake with prejudice.

Remember ... Drake was named as a defendant in some lawsuits following the 2021 crowd crush tragedy in Houston -- with plaintiffs alleging that because he took the stage with Travis Scott, they believed he helped incite the crowd into the frenzy.

La muerte de O.J. Simpson puede haber conmocionado al mundo, pero no a sus amigos cercanos, quienes volaron hasta Las Vegas para despedirse, según ha averiguado TMZ.

Fuentes con conocimiento directo nos dicen que los amigos que permanecían en el círculo íntimo de O.J. viajaron a Las Vegas durante la última semana para verlo antes de morir. No está claro cuántos amigos exactamente o quiénes se presentaron, pero nos dicen que un puñado de personas llegó a la ciudad del pecado y logró ver a O.J.

Nos dicen que Simpson se podía comunicar bien y pudo conversar con sus amigos, aunque nuestras fuentes dicen que todos sabían que el final estaba cerca y que esta sería su última oportunidad para estar con él cara a cara.

El Salón de la Fama del Fútbol Americano Profesional reconoció el fallecimiento de O .J. Simpson el jueves con un largo comunicado, pero en él se distanciaron notablemente de sus acciones fuera del campo, recordando al corredor de los Bills solo por su juego.

El establecimiento en Ohio publicó el reconocimiento al ex jugador pocos minutos después de que la familia de Simpson revelara que la ex estrella de la NFL falleció a principios de esta semana tras una batalla contra el cáncer.

La declaración del Salón de la Fama sobre el fallecimiento de Simpson tenía unas 500 palabras y no contenía elogios, solo hechos sobre su carrera futbolística.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame acknowledged O.J. Simpson's passing on Thursday with a lengthy statement ... but in it, the org. notably distanced itself from his actions off the field -- remembering the Bills running back for his play only.

The Canton, Ohio establishment released the eulogy just minutes after Simpson's family revealed the ex-NFL star had died earlier this week following a battle with cancer.

The HOF's statement on Simpson's passing was about 500 words long ... and contained no praise -- just facts about his football career only.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard wants her estranged husband, Ryan Anderson, to pony up some dough as they end their marriage ... asking a judge to sign off on alimony for her.

TMZ has obtained Gypsy's divorce docs, and the big takeaway is the fact that she's requesting spousal support from Ryan ... both in the interim and in the long-term. She's also asking that the court deny Ryan spousal support from her end ... arguing he's not entitled to it.

The reason she feels that way ... Gypsy says Ryan is the one responsible for their dissolution of marriage -- therefore, she doesn't believe he's entitled to any cash payments from her.

Shohei Ohtani had no idea his translator was gambling millions of dollars, and the feds have concluded not only was the Dodger star NOT involved in the scheme, he was a victim of fraud ... law enforcement sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ Sports.

The feds have been investigating Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani's longtime translator, close friend, and functionally his manager. Mizuhara gambled away millions, reportedly at least $4.5 million, and after the story broke he said Ohtani had covered the debt.

Our sources say the feds, who launched an investigation last month, have concluded Mizuhara was lying -- that Ohtani was completely in the dark over the gambling debt, and Mizuhara embezzled from one of Ohtani's accounts without the pitcher's knowledge.

Two of the parents of special needs kids who were allegedly brutalized by an aide at their school are speaking out ... and they say this whole thing could've been prevented.

We talked to Jessica Vestal and Brittany Yarborough on "TMZ Live" Wednesday, and they explained how they discovered that 28-year-old Kiarra Jones was allegedly hurting their sons ... something they say they figured out through surveillance video on the bus they rode.

As you know ... the footage that surfaced depicts Jones apparently hurting Jessica's son -- who's autistic and nonverbal -- and Brittany says her own son, who's also nonverbal, was also sustaining mysterious injuries that were inexplicable ... including a broken toe.

Todd Chrisley is gonna have a hard time paying the 3 quarters-of-a-million dollar judgment against him while behind bars -- so says his attorney, who tells us TC's got bigger fish to fry.

The reality star's attorney, Jay Surgent, tells TMZ ... he spoke with Todd Tuesday, and it's been made clear Todd doesn't have an income right now while he's doing time in prison -- so it'll be an uphill battle figuring out a way to pay off the $755k he just got hit with.

Surgent says Todd's been deprived of his ability to work while in lock-up -- and not just that ... but there's an even bigger tab he owes somebody right now to the tune of millions.

Kash Doll is rethinking parts of her career ahead of the birth of her next child -- mainly her rap name ... a tag she says she's outgrown!!!

While speaking to Angela Yee on "Way Up," Kash admitted she was sick of being called a doll at this stage in her life, and was debating rapping under her a condensed version of her government name, Arkeisha.

KD's career popped off several years ago at a time when "Doll" was the new "Lil' for rap names ... a point she also acknowledged in the interview.

Notable rappers Asian Doll, DreamDoll, Cuban Doll also emerged around that time.

Because of the similarities, KD says she's always being compared to those artists, and would rather separate herself from the debates ... despite feeling like she's the one who laid the foundation for hip hop "Dolls" in the first place.

Kash hasn't named her album her next album yet, but she has a more important name to figure out -- that of her soon-to-be-born daughter, her 2nd kid with boyfriend Tracy T.