Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, pleaded guilty on Tuesday in federal court to stealing nearly $17 million from the baseball star to pay off illegal gambling debts.
Mizuhara has admitted to one count of bank fraud, which carries a maximum 30-year prison sentence, and one count of filing a false tax return, which has a maximum three-year prison sentence, according to the US Attorney’s Office.
US District Judge John Holcomb has scheduled sentencing for October 25.
Mizuhara, 39, appeared at a hearing in federal court in Santa Ana, mobbed by photographers as he entered the courthouse, after reaching a deal with prosecutors as part of a broader federal sports gambling investigation.
Los Angeles Dodgers’ star Ohtani’s long-time friend took millions of dollars from the star’s bank account to finance an “insatiable appetite” for illegal sports gambling, prosecutors said.
Mizuhara…
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