Dodger superstar’s confidant pleaded guilty to stealing $17 million from the power hitter to cover debts
A translator for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has agreed to plead guilty to criminal charges after secretly transferring about $17 million from the player's account to pay off gambling debts.
The US Justice Department said on Wednesday that Ibei Mizuhara incurred the debt through an illegal betting operation, which Ohtani was not aware of. Mizuhara is expected to plead guilty to bank fraud and filing a false tax return in the coming weeks.
“He exploited his position of trust to take advantage of Mr. Ohtani and feed a dangerous gambling habit,” Martin Estrada, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, said in a statement.
The plea agreement comes as Ohtani, a rare combination of pitcher and hitter who signed a record $700 million contract with the Dodgers in December, has become a symbol of MLB's efforts to expand its brand around the world.
The Japanese child prodigy began performing in California in 2018 and relied on Mizuhara to act as his translator as his career took off in the United States. Mizuhara, who was He was charged in AprilHe was not only the 29-year-old's interpreter, but also a close friend and de facto manager, according to federal prosecutors.
Mizuhara's lawyer, Michael Friedman, declined to comment. A Dodgers spokesman did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
Details of Mizuhara's fraud were revealed on Wednesday when the Justice Ministry announced his plan to plead guilty. Mizuhara gained access to Ohtani's bank account after helping him open an account at a Phoenix branch in 2018. Mizuhara began betting with an illegal betting company from September 2021. Deep in debt, he used Ohtani's bank login details to Over the next two and a half years. Years to have unfettered access to his salary.
He also changed security protocols on Ohtani's account so that the bank would contact Mizuhara to verify any wire transfers, according to prosecutors.
The government says the translator embezzled nearly $17 million from Ohtani's accounts. He faces a prison sentence of more than 30 years.
Despite the distractions from the scandal, Ohtani is having a big season with the Dodgers, who are at the top of the National League West. that it Leadership The team's batting average, runs, and home runs.
An arm injury kept him from playing this year. Before signing a deal with the Dodgers, he played six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels at Anaheim.
