Ippei Mizuhara is set to plead guilty to fraud charges of felony bank fraud and after authorities learned that he embezzled nearly $17 million from Shohei Ohtani.
Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, is expected to enter a guilty plea on one count of bank fraud and one count of subscribing to a false tax return, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
Mizuhara has been accused of embezzling millions of dollars and allegedly using the ill-gotten gains to cover gambling debts. He will likely formally enter the plea at some point in the next few weeks. Mizuhara is scheduled to be arraigned on May 14, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
„The extent of this defendant’s deception and theft is massive,“ U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said in a statement. „He took advantage of his position of trust to take advantage of Mr. Ohtani and fuel a dangerous gambling habit.
