Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter pleads guilty to gambling-related theft charges

Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter pleads guilty to gambling-related theft charges


Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter for Japanese baseball star Shohei Ohtani, leaves federal court in Los Angeles, California, U.S., May 14, 2024. 

Mike Blake | Reuters

The former translator for Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani pleaded guilty on Tuesday to federal charges stemming from his multi-million-dollar thefts from the baseball icon.

Ippei Mizuhara, 39, appeared in a Santa Ana courtroom and admitted his guilt to single counts of bank fraud and subscribing to a false tax return.

U.S. District Court Judge John Holcomb scheduled Mizuhara’s sentencing for Oct. 25

Mizuhara began making bets with an illegal bookmaker in September 2021, running up a massive bill, prosecutors have said.

When word of the federal probe first leaked in March, there were concerns about Ohtani possibly having connections to betting on baseball, a strictly verboten act under MLB guidelines.

But federal prosecutors have made it clear that they purely view Ohtani as a victim of Mizuhara, who took advantage of the trust the player had in him.

Mizuhara used Ohtani’s password to get to his bank account, without his knowledge or permission, to pay off gambling debts, prosecutors have said.

Ohtani is arguably the world’s best known baseball player, now in his seventh MLB season.

He signed a heavily backloaded, team-friendly $700 million contract this past off season with the Dodgers. His first six seasons in North America were spent with the nearby Los Angeles Angels.

Ohtani is one of baseball’s most valuable players for his ability to both hit and pitch at a high level, a feat not seen since the early 20th century when Babe Ruth was still with the Boston Red Sox.

The two-way star Ohtani is still recovering from an elbow injury that’s keeping him off the mound in 2024 and limiting his action to the batter’s box.

Ohtani is still one of baseball’s most valuable players, even as a mere one-way performer this season. On Tuesday, Ohtani was in the top 10 of base hits, doubles, home runs, slugging percentage and on-base percentage. 

— Linda Takahashi contributed.



Source

Are 2 to 3 cups of coffee a day too much? It’s complicated, experts say: ‘It’s different for each person’
World

Are 2 to 3 cups of coffee a day too much? It’s complicated, experts say: ‘It’s different for each person’

Two-thirds of Americans drink coffee every single day, according to data collected by the National Coffee Association in 2022, and the debate about how much is too much and whether or not any amount of caffeine is safe persists. But recent research shows that the answer is more complicated than you’d think. A Harvard study, that followed […]

Read More
Media trailblazer Tom Rogers changes ‘raging bull’ stance on Netflix, sees worrisome signs
World

Media trailblazer Tom Rogers changes ‘raging bull’ stance on Netflix, sees worrisome signs

Former NBC Cable President Tom Rogers is dialing back his bullishness on Netflix. The media trailblazer, who was a self-proclaimed “raging bull” on Netflix, told CNBC’s “Fast Money” this week he’s starting to worry — and listed competition with free content on YouTube as a headwind. “[Netflix] still [has] more hit shows than all the […]

Read More
I went to a Costco in Japan—the variety of foods was ‘incredible’: Here’s the stuff you don’t really see in the U.S. stores
World

I went to a Costco in Japan—the variety of foods was ‘incredible’: Here’s the stuff you don’t really see in the U.S. stores

As a Japanese nutritionist living in the U.S., I love shopping for traditional foods that I grew up eating, such as seaweed, beans, matcha, multigrain rice, and sweet potatoes. I sometimes go to Costco to buy those staples in bulk. But during a recent trip to Japan, I had the chance to shop at the […]

Read More