Japanese Top Baseball Player Shohei Ohtani

The former interpreter of Japanese top baseball player Shohei Ohtani has been sentenced to four years and nine months in prison in the American state of California.

According to the court, Ippei Mizuhara stole 17 million dollars from his former client.
Mizuhara already pleaded guilty in the case last June.

The interpreter admitted that he had withdrawn the money, the equivalent of around 15 million euros, from Ohtani’s bank account without permission.

Mizuhara used the money to pay off his huge gambling debts.

Mizuhara previously claimed that Ohtani, with whom he had become friends, had agreed to pay off the gambling debts.

The Japanese interpreter had gambled on various sports with a bookmaker in California, where betting on sports events is illegal.

Mizuhara later admitted that his friend was unaware of his actions.

A conviction for bank fraud in the United States carries a maximum sentence of thirty years in prison, but for Mizuhara it remains at four years and nine months.

In addition to the prison sentence, Mizuhara must pay $18 million in restitution to Ohtani. It is not known whether Mizuhara will appeal his sentence.

After Mizuhara’s guilty plea last year, Ohtani said in a written statement that he was pleased with the thorough investigation into his former interpreter. “It is time to close this chapter.

I want to continue playing baseball and winning,” he wrote.

The 30-year-old Ohtani, a pitcher and hitter, is active with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

He signed a 10-year contract with the Dodgers in 2023 worth $700 million. That is still a record in baseball.