Ohtani's ex-interpreter turns himself in on federal charges

Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter of Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, turned himself into federal authorities Friday, according to the United States Attorney's Office.

Mizuhara is expected to appear in federal court in downtown Los Angeles Friday afternoon to face charges related to bank fraud and illegal gambling.

The Southern California native, who has been Ohtani's personal interpreter and close friend for years, is accused of stealing millions from the baseball star while serving as his "de facto" manager.

Mizuhara was fired by the Dodgers organization last month after federal investigators tied him to an ongoing investigation involving an accused illegal bookmaker based out of Orange County.

It was initially reported that Mizuhara had stolen as much as $4.5 million from the two-time American League MVP to cover losses he accrued through sports gambling.

On Thursday, federal prosecutors announced Ohtani may have actually been swindled out of more than $16 million.

Mizuhara helped Ohtani set up a bank account when he joined the Los Angeles Angels, prosecutors said. He was the only one with access to the account and refused to share access with others in Ohtani's orbit, including his agent and financial advisor.

Prosecutors say Mizuhara committed illegal wire transfers through Ohtani's account in order to pay for his mounting debts, at times even pretending to be the athlete during phone calls to his financial institution.

Mizuhara allegedly began placing illegal bets with a group of bookmakers beginning in 2021. Despite racking up substantial losses over the years, he continued to place thousands of bets, gambling large sums on a regular basis, prosecutors said.

Betting on baseball in any way is banned by the MLB, as is using an illegal bookmaker or offshore website. Any sports bets placed in California are illegal, as the state has not legalized it.

At this time, investigators do not believe any of the bets placed by Mizuhara involved MLB games.

News of Mizuhara's alleged misdeed come just months after Ohtani signed the richest deal in professional sports history, a 10-year $700 million contract.

The two were once thought of as great partners navigating the American sports landscape together. They first met when Ohtani was a member of a Japanese baseball club and Mizuhara became his full-time translator once the star came stateside. Mizuhara accompanied Ohtani during hundreds of interviews and planned to follow him from the Angels to the Dodgers.

In addition to their working relationship, the two were close friends with Mizuhara serving as Ohtani’s catcher during the Home Run Derby at the 2021 MLB All-Star Game.

Ohtani has repeatedly denied any knowledge of Mizuhara's clandestine behavior, calling his longtime ally a liar during a March 25 press conference at Dodger Stadium.

"Ippei has been stealing money from my account and has told lies,” Ohtani said at the time.

Major League Baseball launched its own investigation into Mizuhara’s alleged involvement in sports gambling and whether or not Ohtani may have participated in the scheme.

But on Thursday, United States Attorney Martin Estrada said Ohtani is considered to be a victim in the case and not a willing participant.

“There is no evidence to indicate that Mr. Ohtani authorized the over $16 million of transfers from his account to the bookmakers," Estrada said.

MLB officials told the Associated Press it would wait for the results of the criminal proceedings before determining if additional investigation was warranted.

Ohtani has pledged to cooperate fully with any investigation related to his former interpreter's alleged illegal dealings.

The Dodgers organization has encouraged their big free agent acquisition to focus on the current baseball season and allow for the legal process to conclude, which, according to the New York Times, could happen soon.