Federal prosecutors have charged Ippei Mizuhara, the since-fired interpreter for Shohei Ohtani, with stealing more than $16 million of dollars from the Dodgers superstar to pay debts with an allegedly illegal bookmaker.
The U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, Martin Estrada, announced the charge Thursday at a news conference in downtown Los Angeles.
“Mr. Ohtani is considered a victim in this case,” Estrada said.
He said that Mizuhara impersonated Ohtani in conversations with bank officials, placed thousands of wagers and deposited winnings in a bank account the interpreter controlled.
Advertisement
“Mr. Mizuhara did all this to feed his insatiable appetite for illegal sports gambling,” Estrada said.