UP TO 30 YEARS

Shohei Ohtani’s Interpreter Surrenders to Authorities on Bank Fraud Charges

Ippei Mizuhara turned over his passport and agreed to submit to treatment for gambling addiction.

The former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers player Shohei Ohtani surrendered to authorities on Friday, one day after he was charged for allegedly stealing over $16 million from his superstar client, according to NBC News. On Thursday, Ippei Mizuhara was charged with bank fraud, and he faces up to 30 years in prison. He agreed to turn himself into police, and appeared in federal court in Los Angeles on Friday afternoon. Mizuhara’s bond was set at $25,000. He turned over his passport and agreed to submit to treatment for gambling addiction, and not to contact Ohtani. Mizuhara allegedly took advantage of Ohtani’s language barrier to swindle the star out of millions to pay off his betting debts. The MLB and Department of Justice have both determined that Ohtani is innocent in the scheme. “I want to emphasize this point: Mr. Ohtani is considered a victim in this case. There is no evidence to indicate that Mr. Ohtani authorized the over $16 million of transfers from his account to the bookmakers,” said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada during a press conference on Thursday.