By Steve Gorman and Julia Harte
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Japanese baseball star Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter was charged on Thursday with financial institution fraud for stealing $16 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers slugger to cowl playing money owed, in line with court docket paperwork.
In keeping with a 36-page legal criticism and affidavit filed in federal court docket in Los Angeles, Ippei Mizuhara embezzled the cash from an account of Ohtani’s that Mizuhara had helped arrange and despatched the funds with out Ohtani’s information to an unlawful sports activities playing operation.
U.S. Lawyer E. Martin Estrada, saying the outcomes of his investigation at a information convention, harassed that there was nothing to recommend wrongdoing by Ohtani, who signed a report $700 million, 10-year contract to affix the Dodgers this season.
“I want to emphasize this point. Mr. Ohtani was a victim in this case. There’s no evidence to indicate that Mr. Ohtani authorized the over $16 million in transfers from his account to the bookmakers,” Estrada stated.
The end result spared the Dodgers and Main League Baseball a possible scandal of epic proportions, recalling the controversy stirred 35 years in the past when Pete Rose was accused of playing on baseball video games, together with these of his personal group, whereas he performed for and managed the Cincinnati Reds.
These allegations led MLB to completely ban Rose from baseball in 1989. Rose later admitted to wagering on MLB video games, together with these performed by the Reds however stated he by no means guess towards his personal group.
Ohtani, 29, whose skills as a batter and a pitcher have earned him comparisons to Babe Ruth, instructed reporters at a March 25 press convention that he was a sufferer of theft by Mizuhara and that he by no means guess on baseball or knowingly paid a bookmaker.
Mizuhara, 39, has agreed to show himself over to federal authorities on Friday and was anticipated to make his preliminary court docket look that afternoon in downtown Los Angeles, in line with Thom Mrozek, a spokesperson for the U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace.
If convicted on the one rely of financial institution fraud with which he’s charged, Mizuhara might face a sentence of as much as 30 years in jail.
Mizuhara’s legal professional, Michael Freedman, instructed Reuters on Thursday that his shopper had no touch upon the cost.
Beginning in late 2021, Mizuhara started playing with an unlawful sports activities e-book and dropping substantial sums, in line with the federal affidavit.
To cowl his money owed, Mizuhara repeatedly impersonated Ohtani to “trick and deceive” financial institution staff into authorizing wire transfers from Ohtani’s account, the place the participant’s baseball wage was deposited, the affidavit stated.
Final month, whereas messaging a bookmaker about reviews surfacing then that Mizuhara had stolen from Ohtani, Mizuhara wrote, “Technically I did steal from him. It’s all over for me,” in line with the affidavit.
Mizuhara “used and abused” his distinctive place of belief “to plunder Mr. Ohtani’s bank account,” Estrada instructed reporters.
Mizuhara, who met Ohtani in 2013 once they had been each with Japan’s Nippon Ham Fighters group, was the slugger’s near-constant companion throughout Ohtani’s six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels. The interpreter was fired by the Dodgers in March.
Days later, Ohtani instructed reporters on the March 25 press convention that Mizuhara had admitted to him that he had been utilizing Ohtani’s account to make the funds, and stated he was “saddened and shocked” by the betrayal.
Estrada stated at Thursday’s press convention {that a} Japanese linguist had reviewed 1000’s of communications between Ohtani and Mizuhara and had discovered no discussions between the 2 about betting or authorizing transfers to bookmakers.
The investigation into Mizuhara grew out of an ongoing, broader probe by the U.S. Inside Income Service and the Division of Homeland Safety into unlawful sports activities playing operations all through Southern California, Estrada stated.