Ippei Mizuhara (left) surrendered to federal authorities in Los Angeles on Friday. Mizuhara is a former interpreter for L.A. Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani (right).
Mizuhara is charged with bank fraud and illegal gambling. He appeared in federal court in downtown Los Angeles Friday afternoon.
Federal investigators initially believed Mizuhara stole $4.5 million from Ohtani to cover gambling losses.
However, federal prosecutors announced Mizuhara transferred nearly $17 million from Ohtani’s bank account to cover $40 million in gambling losses.
The Dodgers fired Mizuhara last month after he was caught wiring millions from Ohtani’s bank account to a California bookie.
Mizuhara, a native of Southern California, met Ohtani in Japan and became his interpreter, manager and close friend.
Prosecutors say Mizuhara set up an online bank account for Ohtani when he signed with the Los Angeles Angels.
He refused to share banking access with others in Ohtani’s circle, including his agent and financial advisor.
Mizuhara pretended to be Ohtani in phone calls with bank officials. He requested large wire transfers to a West Coast bookie to cover his gambling debts.
Investigators do not believe Mizuhara placed any bets on Major League Baseball games.
Sports betting is illegal in the state of California.
Ohtani denied any knowledge of Mizuhara’s illegal activities in a press conference on March 25.
“Ippei has been stealing money from my account and has told lies,” Ohtani said through his new interpreter.
The Dodgers found no evidence that Ohtani was involved in gambling, KTLA reported.
Ohtani made headlines when he signed a $700 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The contract is the richest deal in sports history.
Ohtani deferred $680 million until his contract ends. He is paid only $2 million a year until the final year of his contract.
