A former member of Shohei OhtaniHis team was accused of stealing millions from him.
The Los Angeles Dodgers pitcherformer translator Ippei Mizuhara was federally charged with bank fraud on April 11 for allegedly robbing the athlete of $16 million, according to an affidavit obtained by E! News.
Mizuhara — who began working with Ohtani in 2013 to teach him English — gained access to client funds when the 29-year-old MLB player moved to the US from his native Japan in 2018. At the time, the interpreter helped him set up a bank account, eventually becoming Ohtani's de facto manager, prosecutors allege, according to NBC Newsduring a press conference on April 11.
But the interpreter's “insatiable appetite” for illegal sports gambling quickly got in the way, prompting Mizuhara, 39, to remove Ohtani's agent, financial advisor and accountant from the account. 29-year-old man's online identity and transferred more than $16 million into illegal funds. from the player's account to his own bank between November 2021 and January 2024, according to the affidavit.
