The former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud Wednesday in a sports betting case where prosecutors allege he stole $16 million from the Japanese baseball player to pay off debts.
The scandal surrounding Ippei Mizuhara shocked baseball fans from the U.S. to Japan when the news broke in March. He was initially charged with one count of bank fraud, which carries a potential 30-year prison sentence.
Mizuhara exploited his personal and professional relationship with Ohtani to plunder millions from the two-way player’s account for years, at times impersonating Ohtani to bankers, prosecutors said. Mizuhara’s winning bets totaled over $142 million, which he deposited in his own bank account and not Ohtani’s. But his losing bets were around $183 million, a net loss of nearly $41 million. He did not wager on baseball.
