Major League Baseball has cleared Shohei Ohtani of any wrongdoing after Ippei Mizuhara’s guilty plea. Ohtani and the Dodgers released statements.
Major League Baseball has cleared Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani of any wrongdoings following Ippei Mizuhara’s guilty plea on Tuesday.
Mizuhara, the former interpreter and close friend of Ohtani, pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud in federal court Tuesday, and faces up to 33 years in prison. Mizuhara’s sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 25.
“I worked for Victim A [Ohtani] and I had access to his bank account and I had fallen into major gambling debt, and the only way that I could think of was to use his money,” Mizuhara said in court on Tuesday, via ESPN. “I had access to Bank A. So I went ahead and wired money for my gambling debt with his bank account.”
Mizuhara’s guilty plea, compiled with MLB’s own investigation, led to the league clearing Ohtani of any wrongdoing and calling him a victim in this matter.
“Based on the thoroughness of the federal investigation that was made public, the information MLB collected, and the criminal proceeding being resolved without being contested, MLB considers Shohei Ohtani a victim of fraud and this matter has been closed,” MLB’s statement read.
