Ohtani interpreter charged with stealing over $16m from baseball star

US officials have charged football experience Shohei Ohtani’s longer- time speaker, Ippei Mizuhara, with stealing millions from the sports celebrity.

The result attorney in California claimed that Mr. Mizhuara had fabricated Mr. Ohtani to make money in casinos.

At a news conference in Los Angeles on Thursday, US Attorney Martin Estrada stated to investigators that” Mr. Ohtani is regarded as a victim in this case.”

Mr Mizuhara, 39, was fired last month as reports of the reported fraud emerged.

The speaker allegedly placed bets on Mr. Ohtani and deposited his winnings into a controled bill before the prosecution.

Between November 2021 and January 2024, officials said he wired more than$ 16m ( £13m ) in unauthorised transfers from Mr Ohtani’s account.

Mr. Mizuhara “doed all of this to feed his insatiable hunger for unlawful sports gambling,” according to Mr. Estrada.

The charging document alleges that Mr Mizuhara, who acted as Mr Ohtani’s de facto director, took advantage of the fact that the Chinese sports celebrity does not talk English.

According to the report, he claimed to have called banks officials and “falsely identified himself as]Mr. Ohtani to deceive employees into allowing wire transfers from]Mr. Ohtani’s bank accounts to members of the illegal gambling operation.”

From January to March 2024, Mr Mizuhara also allegedly purchased$ 325, 000 in baseball cards using money taken from Mr Ohtani’s account.

On Thursday, an LA-based defense attorney representing Mr. Mizuhara declined to comment on the allegations.

Last month, Mr. Ohtani sat for an appointment with the prosecution and denied giving the interpreter any financial information.

” ]Mr] Ohtani provided his cellphone to law enforcement, who determined that there was no evidence to suggest that]Mr] Ohtani was aware of, or involved in ,]Mr] Mizuhara’s illegitimate gambling action or repayment of those bills”, according to the lawyer’s speech.

Federal jail sentenced to 30 years in prison for bank scam. According to The New York Times, he is negotiating with the prosecution to plead guilty.

Sports betting is permitted in 38 American claims, but it is still prohibited in California.

Major League Baseball has its own legislation that bans “any person, judge, or Club or League standard or staff” from betting on football games and placing bets with unlawful bookmakers.

Mr. Estrada stated to the media on Thursday that there was no evidence to support the claim that Mr. Mizuhara had staked out any football game.

Ohtani signed a document 10- season,$ 700m deal with the Dodgers before this year, becoming the face of the activities company. He had only received his second majority MVP award from the American League.

His stay in the US started in 2018, and Mr Mizuhara had been a constant partner. He and his wife were just seen in a photo that revealed Mr Ohtani’s family, Mamiko Tanaka, after months of speculation.

At a press conference for the LA Dodgers last month, Mr. Ohtani said,” I’m really shocked and saddened that people I trusted has done this.

” Ippei has been stealing funds from my bill and has told lies, “he said, speaking with the help of a unique speaker.