LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – U.S. prosecutors announced on the 11th that they have charged Ippei Mizuhara, 39, a former interpreter for Major League Baseball player Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers, on suspicion of bank fraud.
Mizuhara is believed to have fraudulently transferred more than $16 million (approximately 2.45 billion yen) from Otani’s account to the player without his permission.
Authorities concluded that Ohtani was the victim and was not involved in any wrongdoing.
According to an affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, Mizuhara began gambling illegally on sports in late 2021 and began losing large sums of money. He allegedly impersonated Ohtani multiple times to trick bank employees into approving money transfers from Ohtani’s account.
U.S. prosecutors announced on the 11th that they have charged Ippei Mizuhara (pictured), a former interpreter for Major League Baseball (MLB) Dodgers player Shohei Otani, on suspicion of bank fraud. Photographed in December 2023 (2024 Reuters/Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)
According to prosecutors, Mizuhara is scheduled to appear in court on the 12th. He will not be arraigned and is expected to be released on bond.
If convicted of bank fraud, he could be sentenced to up to 30 years in prison.
Federal prosecutor Estrada said at a press conference that the suspect abused his position of trust to access Otani’s bank account without his permission.
In addition, a detailed examination of the communications between Otani and Mizuhara revealed that there was no communication regarding gambling or approval of money transfers to bookmakers.
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