Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter of Shohei Ohtani, has been formally charged with bank fraud for allegedly stealing more than $16 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers star.

Key Details

During a press conference on Thursday, U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said that Mizuhara made unauthorized transfers from Ohtani's bank account between Nov. 2021 and Jan. 2024 to pay off gambling debts with an illegal bookmaker. The bank fraud charge is a felony offense that carries a maximum fine of up to $1 million and/or up to 30 years in federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Central District of California. Mizuhara is expected to appear in a U.S. district court in Los Angeles in the "near future."

Legal Proceedings

The New York Times reported Wednesday night that Mizuhara is in negotiations to plead guilty in connection to the alleged theft of Ohtani's money. According to an affidavit, Mizuhara wired more than $16 million of unauthorized transfers from Ohtani's bank account from "devices and IP addresses associated with Mizuhara."

Key Takeaways

Mizuhara is also alleged to have purchased approximately 1,000 baseball cards via eBay and Whatnot at a cost of approximately $325,000 and had them mailed to Mizuhara under an alias and to the Dodgers' clubhouse. Ohtani denied authorizing the wire transfers in an interview with investigators last week and provided his cell phone to determine that he was not aware of or involved in Mizuhara's illegal activities.

Investigation Details

The Dodgers announced Mizuhara had been fired from his role as Ohtani's interpreter in March amid claims from Ohtani's representation that Mizuhara stole funds. The amount was reported to be millions of dollars. Ohtani's representatives were reportedly quick to request a legal investigation into the scheme, and MLB opened its own investigation two days after Mizuhara's firing.

Background

The probe into Mizuhara's actions was a joint effort led by the Los Angeles branch of the Internal Revenue Service’s criminal division, the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. attorney’s office for the Central District of California. Prosecutors found evidence that Mizuhara had stolen more from Ohtani than the previously cited $4.5 million.