Shohei Ohtani’s former translator plans to plead guilty to federal crimes related to the Los Angeles Dodgers star’s alleged theft of money. the New York Times And ESPN reported this on Wednesday.
Ippei Mizuhara was fired by the Dodgers last month after admitting he stole at least $4.5 million from Ohtani, baseball’s biggest star, to pay off gambling debts.
According to the Times and ESPN, Mizuhara’s plea deal would include an admission that corroborates Ohtani’s version of events — that the player never bet on sports, had no idea Mizuhara did so and was the victim of a “massive theft” by his former player. friend. A source told ESPN that Ohtani’s story surrounding the events is accurate. MLB players are banned from betting on baseball and face a lifetime ban if they are found to have placed a bet on their own team. In the almost forty American states where gambling is legal, they are allowed to bet on other sports, but not in California.
Mizuhara’s attorney, Michael G Freedman, declined to comment to the Times and ESPN.
The alleged theft became public knowledge when wire transfers from Ohtani’s bank account were discovered in a federal investigation into an alleged illegal bookmaker. Mizuhara initially said Ohtani agreed to cover his gambling debts, but then backtracked and admitted Ohtani was unaware of the payment to the California bookmaker.
According to the reports, the IRS, the Department of Homeland Security and the US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California conducted a joint investigation into Mizuhara’s actions.
According to the Times, Mizuhara had contact with law enforcement officials when he returned from South Korea after the Dodgers’ season-opening trip, but he was not arrested and his current whereabouts are unknown. The Times also says that Mizuhara changed the settings on Ohtani’s bank account so that the player does not receive alerts when funds are withdrawn.
Mizuhara was fired by the Dodgers while the team was in South Korea after initially telling the club that Ohtani was helping him pay off his debts. The Times says Ohtani became aware of Mizuhara’s story during a clubhouse meeting in English. Although Ohtani is not fluent in English, he understood enough of the conversation to confront Mizuhara later. It was at that point that Mizuhara allegedly admitted the theft to Ohtani.
Mizuhara had been Ohtani’s translator since the star moved from Japan to play for the Los Angeles Angels in 2018, and the pair were close friends and also had a working relationship. Ohtani joined the Dodgers in December on a 10-year, $700 million contract and is one of the most famous people in his home country.