Shohei Ohtani's ex-interpreter agrees to plead guilty in gambling scandal

Ippei Mizuhara could face more than 30 years in federal prison under the plea deal, according to the U.S. Attorney's OfficeThe former interpreter for Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has agreed to plead guilty to two federal charges for stealing nearly $17 million from the two-time MVP's bank account to pay off illegal gambling debts, prosecutors say.

“The extent of this defendant’s deception and theft is massive,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “He took advantage of his position of trust to take advantage of Mr. Ohtani and fuel a dangerous gambling habit. My office is committed to vindicating victims throughout our community and ensuring that wrongdoers face justice.”Text messages, big wagers and debt.

Mizuhara's winning bets totaled more than $142,256,000 and losing bets about $182,935,000. Total losses amounted to more than $40,679,000, the affidavit said. According to prosecutors, Mizuhara accompanied Ohtani to a bank branch in Arizona when they opened the account in 2018, with Mizuhara translating for Ohtani to set up the account. Ohtani’s salary was deposited into the account, prosecutors said, and he never gave Mizuhara control of the account or any of his other financial accounts, according to the affidavit.

Mizuhara began gambling with an illegal sportsbook in 2021, according to prosecutors. Months later, he started losing"substantial" amounts of money and, at about the same time, contact information on Ohtani's bank account was changed to link it to Mizuhara's phone number and an anonymous email, prosecutors said.

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