Shohei Ohtani’s former longtime performer, Ippei Mizuhara, turned himself in to police authorities on Friday.
Mizuhara is charged with federal bank fraud for crimes involving gambling debts and the theft of millions of dollars from the Los Angeles Dodgers star player, federal authorities said.
Mizuhara became an interpreter for Ohtani after the player landed in the United States to play baseball.
Mizuhara allegedly helped Ohtani open a bank account into which Ohtani deposited his baseball salary. Mizuhara is accused of stealing more than US$16 million from Ohtani’s bank accounts to pay for his own sports bets. He allegedly lied to the bank to gain access to the account.
Ohtani left the Los Angeles Angels in December to sign a record $700 million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers. Ohtani and Mizuhara have been daily companions since he joined the Angels in 2018.
Mizuhara told ESPN on March 19 that Ohtani paid off his gambling debts at the interpreter’s request, saying the bets were on soccer, the NBA, the NFL and college football. But ESPN reported that Mizuhara changed his story the next day, saying Ohtani had no knowledge of the gambling debts and had not transferred any money to the bookmakers.
On March 25, Ohtani explained during a press conference at Dodger Stadium that he never bet on sports or knowingly paid gambling debts accrued by his interpreter.
2024-04-12 18:50:46
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