The former interpreter of Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani is in negotiations to plead guilty in connection to the alleged theft of Ohtani's money for gambling, Tim Arango and Michael S. Schmidt of the New York Times reported Wednesday.
The Dodgers announced Ippei Mizuhara had been fired from his role as Ohtani's interpreter last month due to claims from Ohtani's representation that Mizuhara stole funds from the Japanese star’s bank account to cover debts owed to an illegal bookmaker. The amount was reported to be millions of dollars. Ohtani's representatives were reportedly quick to request a legal investigation into the scheme, and MLB opened its own investigation two days after Mizuhara's firing.