Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter, who was a former Japanese baseball player, has agreed to enter a guilty plea to US fraud charges against him. He is accused of having illegally transferred nearly$ 17 million ( £14 million ) from the player’s bank account.
Ippei Mizuhara and the Los Angeles County prosecutor’s teams have reached a plea bargain where he will admit to bank scam and filing a false tax return.
The LA Dodgers actor’s attorney claims he paid off his own bills with his wealth.
When announcement broke about the situation in March, sports enthusiasts in Japan and America were shocked.
” The amount of this defendant’s fraud and extortion is massive”, US Attorney Martin Estrada said. He “made a dangerous playing behavior out of his position of trust,” Ohtani said.
Prosecutors allege that Mr Mizuhara, 39, had called banks officers and “falsely identified himself as]Mr] Ohtani to key personnel into authorizing wire transfers from]Mr] Ohtani’s bank accounts to associates of the illegal gambling procedure”.
From January to March this year, Mr Mizuhara also allegedly purchased$ 325, 000 in baseball cards using money taken from Mr Ohtani’s account.
The fake tax return demand can lead to prison sentences of up to three years in prison, and the bank fraud charge can lead to up to 30 years in prison.
In trade for Mr. Mizuhara’s appeal, the prosecution may negotiate a decreased word. In the upcoming weeks, he is anticipated to make the appeal.
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As soon as the claims became public, he was fired in March. At the time, Mr Ohtani, 29, said he was” saddened and shocked” that someone he had trusted had “done this”.
Mr Ohtani signed a document 10- yr,$ 700m deal with the Dodgers before this year, becoming the face of the sports company. His next majority award for American League MVP was only a few days away.
Since the ball star’s time in the US officially began in 2018, Mr. Mizuhara had been a friend.
Mr. Ohtani relied heavily on his interpreter, who ranged from assisting with bank accounts opening records to assisting with inquiries at press conferences.
Mr Mizuhara’s ability to interpret Mr Ohtani’s feedback into slang English had been widely praised in Japan.
