Ippei Mizuhara has been charged with stealing over $16 million. Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star pitcher and outfielder Shohei Ohtani, who allegedly stole more than $16 million to cover his gambling debts, surrendered to federal authorities Friday. Mr. Mizuhara, 39, of Newport Beach, California, is charged with felony bank fraud, which has a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison. Mr. Mizuhara appeared in the United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles for his initial appearance on Friday afternoon, where the judge...

Shohei Ohtani has spoken out amid the investigation into the gambling allegations involving his former interpreter. After Ippei Mizuhara was charged with felony bank fraud this week after allegedly stealing $16 million from Ohtani to cover gambling debts, the Japanese superstar opened up about the process. The Dodgers’ designated hitter said he’s “grateful” with where things are going but hopes to keep the focus on baseball going forward. “I’m very grateful for the Department of Justice’s investigation,” Ohtani said in Japanese on Friday, according to the Los Angeles Times. “For...

Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter of Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, has been charged with bank fraud after allegedly stealing $16 million from his former employer. U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada announced the federal charge on Thursday. The federal complaint lays out that Mizuhara placed around 19,000 wagers between Dec. 2021 and Jan. 2024, that he won around $142 million on these wagers while losing around $182 million — meaning he was around $40 million in the hole. The complaint adds that the records do not show any bets on...

Shohei Ohtani’s ex-interpreter is in the crosshairs of the feds. Ippei Mizuhara, who was fired by the Dodgers in March after being accused of stealing millions of Ohtani’s money to cover sports gambling debts, is expected to plead guilty to federal crimes, according to a New York Times report on Wednesday. TMZ, citing law enforcement sources, reported that Ohtani was the victim of fraud and had no knowledge of the scheme that cost at least $4.5 million of the Dodgers superstar’s money. According to the Times, the investigation, which is...