Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter negotiating guilty plea after theft of millions
Ippei Mizuhara has been linked with stealing $4.5m from the Japanese baseball star.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Japanese baseball star Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter, who was fired by the Los Angeles Dodgers amid allegations that he stole from Ohtani to cover gambling debts, is in negotiations with federal prosecutors to plead guilty, the New York Times reported.
Ippei Mizuhara has been linked to at least $4.5m in payments that were transferred from Ohtani’s account to an illegal Southern California gambling operation, ESPN reported.
The exact charges under discussion were not revealed in the Times report.
Neither Mizuhara’s attorney, Michael Freedman, nor a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California immediately responded to Reuters requests for comment after hours on Wednesday.
The Times report, citing the three unnamed sources, said prosecutors may have uncovered evidence that Mizuhara stole more than the reported $4.5m and suspect he was able to conceal the transactions by changing the settings on Ohtani’s bank account.
Ohtani, who signed a record $700m, 10-year contract to join the Dodgers this season, told reporters in a March 25 press conference that he was a victim of theft by Mizuhara and that he never bet on baseball or knowingly paid a bookmaker.
Betting on baseball could prompt a lifetime ban from Major League Baseball.
Ohtani said he was “saddened and shocked” at what happened and that he never agreed to pay off the debt or make a payment to the bookmaker, telling reporters at the press conference he would have no further comment on the matter.
Mizuhara had previously told ESPN that Ohtani had agreed to pay his gambling debts, and he shared that story in a team meeting.
But Ohtani told reporters that when he later spoke to Mizuhara he admitted to using Ohtani’s account to make the payments.
The Dodgers then fired Mizuhara, who met Ohtani in 2013 when they were both at Japan’s Nippon Ham Fighters and was his near-constant companion during Ohtani’s six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments