Shohei Ohtani (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Ippei Mizuhara, Shohei Ohtani’s former translator embroiled in a gambling scandal, is facing some serious prison time based on the latest update from federal investigators.
Mizuhara, fired by the Dodgers last month, has been charged with bank fraud and could face up to 30 years in jail.
On Thursday, federal prosecutors cleared Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani of any culpability in the current sports betting scandal. Still, they claimed that Ippei Mizuhara took over $16 million from him while serving as his interpreter and “de facto manager.”
During a press conference in Los Angeles, U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada claimed that Mizuhara, who was let go by the Dodgers a few days prior to the news breaking, had called his bank pretending to be Shohei Ohtani and had allowed transactions.
Among the many things talked about was the insane amount of bets placed by Mizuhara.
If you’re wondering how he got away with this for so long, it was because Mizuhara had access to the account, Estrada said. And he refused to share access with other associates of Ohtani, including his agent, accountant, and financial advisor.
Estrada added that contacts between Mizuhara and the bookmaker showed that he lost “considerable money” but continued to make wagers.
“Mr. Ohtani is considered a victim in this case,” Estrada said via CBS.com. “There is no evidence to indicate that Mr. Ohtani authorized the over $16 million of transfers from his account to the bookmakers.”
Shohei Ohtani Described As Victim In Gambling Scandal
Shohei Ohtani (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Shohei Ohtani was a victim.
Ippei Mizuhara, who was fired by the Dodgers in March after being accused of stealing millions of Ohtani’s money to cover sports gambling debts, is “in negotiations” to plead guilty to federal crimes after an extensive investigation into his wrongdoing.
TMZ reported that Ohtani was the victim of fraud and had no knowledge of the alleged scheme that cost him as much as $16 million.
