Shohei Ohtani's ex-interpreter stole $16 million to cover gambling debts, feds say

Federal prosecutors charged Ippei Mizuhara, longtime interpreter and close friend of Shohei Ohtani, with bank fraud Thursday, saying he stole more than $16 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers star to pay off gambling debts.

The indictment appeared to vindicate Ohtani in the scandal that has dominated headlines since the beginning of the baseball season, when the Los Angeles Times and ESPN broke the news that Ohtani's name was on millions of dollars in wire transfers to a suspected illegal bookie, Mathew Bowyer.

In a news conference to announce the charges, U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said that a thorough investigation had left no doubt that Mizuhara had "used and abused [his] position of trust to plunder Mr. Ohtani's bank account to the tune of over $16 million."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2024/04/11/shohei-ohtani-interpreter-charges-gambling/