{"id":2694,"date":"2024-04-12T23:19:12","date_gmt":"2024-04-12T23:19:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?p=2694"},"modified":"2024-04-12T23:19:12","modified_gmt":"2024-04-12T23:19:12","slug":"judge-orders-ohtanis-ex-interpreter-to-get-gambling-addiction-treatment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/internationalpulse.net\/?p=2694","title":{"rendered":"Judge orders Ohtani’s ex-interpreter to get gambling addiction treatment"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nLOS ANGELES \u2014\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
A federal judge Friday ordered the former longtime interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani released on $25,000 bond and mandated he undergo gambling addiction treatment.<\/p>\n
Ippei Mizuhara exploited his personal and professional relationship with Ohtani to plunder $16 million from the Major League Baseball player’s bank account for years, prosecutors said, at times impersonating Ohtani to bankers so he could cover his bets and debts.<\/p>\n
Mizuhara only spoke to answer the judge’s questions, saying “yes” when she asked if he understood several parts of the case and his bond conditions.<\/p>\n
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\n<\/div>\nFILE – Ippei Mizuhara, left, stands next to baseball star Shohei Ohtani during an interview at Dodger Stadium in California, Feb. 3, 2024.<\/span> \n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
Mizuhara, wearing a dark suit and a white collared shirt, entered the courtroom with his ankles shackled, but was not handcuffed. The judge approved his attorney’s request to remove the shackles.<\/p>\n
Other bond conditions stipulate that Mizuhara cannot gamble, either electronically or in person, or go inside any gambling establishments, or associate with any known bookmakers.<\/p>\n
Mizuhara turned himself in Friday ahead of his initial court appearance. He is charged with one count of bank fraud and faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors said there was no evidence that Ohtani was involved in or aware of Mizuhara’s gambling, and authorities said Ohtani was cooperating with investigators.<\/p>\n
Mizuhara was not asked to enter a plea during Friday’s brief court appearance in downtown Los Angeles. A criminal complaint filed Thursday detailed the alleged scheme through evidence that included text messages, financial records and recordings of phone calls.<\/p>\n
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\n<\/div>\nU.S. Attorney Martin Estrada, left, arrives for a news conference where he announced charges against the former longtime interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani during a news conference in Los Angeles, April 11, 2024.<\/span> \n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
While Mizuhara’s winning bets totaled over $142 million, which he deposited in his own bank account and not Ohtani’s, his losing bets were around $183 million \u2014 a net loss of nearly $41 million.<\/p>\n
In a message to his illegal bookmaker on March 20, the day the Los Angeles Times<\/em> and ESPN broke the news of the federal investigation, Mizuhara wrote: “Technically I did steal from him. It’s all over for me.”<\/p>\n
Major League Baseball opened its own investigation after the controversy surfaced, and the Dodgers immediately fired Mizuhara.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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