Clase-Ortiz Trial Testimony Links Mizuhara Indictment to Halt in MLB Pitch Betting Information

Testimony in the federal trial of Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz showed that insider information on pitches stopped after the indictment of Ippei Mizuhara. Gambler Luis de Aza Baez told jurors his liaison to Clase cut off details once Mizuhara's case placed sports betting under sharper scrutiny.

Mizuhara was indicted on the eve of the 2024 Major League Baseball season for stealing nearly $17 million from Shohei Ohtani. He pled guilty and is serving a 57-month sentence in a Pennsylvania federal prison. Clase and Ortiz face four federal counts in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

Court Evidence Details Codes, Texts and Group Chat

De Aza Baez testified he never got information directly from Clase but from liaison Enoc Pena. Prosecutors displayed a text Clase allegedly sent Pena on Sept. 30, 2023 that referenced "killing the first two chickens." De Aza Baez interpreted the message as instructions to bet on a pitch to the third batter only if Clase retired the first two. Clase maintains the terms referred to cockfighting common in the Dominican Republic.

The gamblers met in Nantucket, Massachusetts, and exchanged tips through a group text labeled "Uber, Inc." because some participants worked for the ride-share company. De Aza Baez met Clase at a birthday party in a Boston suburb that Pena arranged. He is testifying under an agreement in which the government dropped a wire fraud charge against him.

A second witness, Edward Canario, said he received tips from co-defendant Luis Arismendy Paca Méndez and shared betting proceeds. As @conlin_lauren posted on X, "Government witness Edward Canario just finished cross-examination in Brooklyn federal court. Canario, who testified about betting on Emmanuel Clase’s pitches in 2023, told jurors he had no communication with Luis Ortiz or Robinson Vásquez Germosén." The trial began last Monday, entered a five-day break, and resumes Thursday. Prosecutors estimate 15 days to present their case, as reported by ESPN and detailed by InGame.

LeForbes Sentencing Brief and Parallel Gambling Cases

In a separate proceeding, Damien LeForbes' attorney Richard A. Schonfeld filed a brief ahead of the Dec. 10 sentencing seeking probation and opposing any four-level role enhancement. LeForbes pled guilty in 2024 to operating an illegal gambling business and transactional money laundering. He admitted a probation violation after traveling to Dallas without approval to retrieve $300,000 in cash for the World Series of Poker. LeForbes has since completed gambling addiction counseling, attends Gamblers Anonymous, and secured other employment. The brief requests four months of home confinement, continued therapy, weekly Gamblers Anonymous meetings, a gambling ban, and 50 hours of community service.

Additional matters include basketball player Ed Davis signaling a change of plea to guilty in the Malik Beasley illegal wagering case. EDNY prosecutors also opposed severance in the trial of former NBA player Terry Rozier and co-defendant DeNiro Laster, scheduled to begin Feb. 8, 2027.