Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara has been charged with bank fraud after allegedly stealing over $16million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player to pay off a gambling debt.
Federal authorities have filed a complaint accusing Mizuhara of bank fraud – which can carry a maximum fine of up to $1million and/or up to 30 years in prison.
In the complaint, Ohtani – who was referred to only as a ‘professional baseball player’ – informed authorities that he did not authorize the transfers.
Attorneys for Ohtani, who signed a $700m contract with the Dodgers last winter, said that he was the victim of a ‘massive theft.
According to a statement from the US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, the complaint is ‘merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.’
The statement says a criminal investigation is underway by the IRS and the Department of Homeland Security.
In that statement, it’s revealed that Ohtani told law enforcement that he denied authorizing Mizuhara’s wire transfers to pay off gambling debts.
Ohtani turned his cell phone in to law enforcement, ‘who determined that there was no evidence to suggest that Ohtani was aware of, or involved in, Mizuhara’s illegal gambling activity or payment of those debts.’
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Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara has been charged with bank fraud after allegedly stealing over $16million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player
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