A translator for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has agreed to plead guilty to criminal charges after secretly transferring nearly $17 million from a player’s account to pay off a gambling debt.
Ippei Mizuhara received the debt as a result of an illegal bookmaking operation that Ohtani was unaware of, the U.S. Justice Department said Wednesday. Mizuhara is expected to plead guilty to bank fraud and filing a false tax return in the coming weeks.
“He used his position of trust to take advantage of Mr. Ohtani and fuel a dangerous gambling habit,” Martin Estrada, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, said in a statement.
The plea agreement comes as Ohtani, a rare pitcher-hitter combination who signed a record $700 million contract with the Dodgers in December, has become a symbol of MLB’s efforts to expand its brand around the world.
The Japanese prodigy began playing in California in 2018 and relied on Mizuhara as his translator as his US career took off. Mizuhara, who was charged in AprilFederal prosecutors say he was not only the 29-year-old’s translator, but also his close friend and de facto manager.
Mizuhara’s lawyer, Michael Friedman, declined to comment. A Dodgers spokesman did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
Details of Mizuhara’s fraud were laid out Wednesday when the Justice Department announced his plan to plead guilty. Mizuhara gained access to Ohtani’s bank account after helping him open an account at the Phoenix branch in 2018. Mizuhara began placing bets with the illegal bookmaker in September 2021. Saddled with debt, he used bank details to log into Otani Bank for the next two and a half years. years to gain easy access to your salary.
He also changed security protocols on Otani’s account to have the bank call Mizuhara to verify any wire transfers, prosecutors said.
The government alleges the translator siphoned nearly $17 million from Ohtani’s accounts. He faces more than 30 years in prison.
Despite the scandal being a distraction, Ohtani is having a successful season for the Dodgers, who lead the National League West. He leading Team batting average, home runs and hits.
A hand injury prevented him from competing this year. Before signing with the Dodgers, he spent six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels at Anaheim Speedway.