An interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has agreed to plead guilty after secretly transferring about $17 million from the player’s account to repay gambling debts.
Ippei Mizuhara accrued the debt through an illegal bookmaking operation that Ohtani had no knowledge of, the US Department of Justice said on Wednesday. Mizuhara is anticipated to plead guilty in the approaching weeks to bank fraud and filing a false tax return.
“He took advantage of his position of trust to take advantage of Mr. Ohtani and fuel a dangerous gambling habit,” Martin Estrada, the U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, said in a press release.
The agreement comes at a time when Ohtani, a rare combination of pitcher and hitter who signed a record $700 million contract with the Dodgers in December, has change into a logo of MLB’s efforts to expand its brand globally.
The Japanese prodigy began playing in California in 2018 and relied on Mizuhara as a translator when his profession began within the US. Mizuhara, who was charged in AprilAccording to the federal prosecutor’s office, he was not only the 29-year-old’s interpreter, but in addition a detailed friend and de facto manager.
Mizuhara’s attorney, Michael Freedman, declined to comment. A Dodgers spokesman didn’t immediately reply to an email request for comment.
Details of Mizuhara’s fraud were revealed Wednesday when the Justice Department announced his plan to plead guilty. Mizuhara gained access to Ohtani’s checking account after helping him open an account at a Phoenix branch in 2018. Starting in September 2021, Mizuhara began placing bets with an illegal bookmaker. Burdened with debt, over the following two and a half years he used Ohtani’s bank credentials to achieve unrestricted access to his salary.
He also modified the safety protocols for Ohtani’s account in order that the bank would call Mizuhara to confirm any transfers, prosecutors said.
According to the federal government, the interpreter siphoned nearly $17 million from Ohtani’s accounts. He faces greater than 30 years in prison.
Despite the distractions of the scandal, Ohtani is having an enormous season for the Dodgers, who’re atop the National League West. He is leading the team in batting average, home runs and hits.
An arm injury has prevented him from pitching this 12 months. Before signing with the Dodgers, he played six seasons for the Los Angeles Angels at Freeway in Anaheim.
