- Debutant Sears shines as US women rally to beat Iceland
- Sainz achieves wish with one more win for Ferrari
- Japan PM under pressure after debacle election
- Timothee Chalamet crashes his own look-alike contest
- McLaren say Verstappen penalties 'not enough' after 'ridiculous' Mexico move
- Eight-try Toulouse flatten Toulon to go top of Top 14
- Ohtani expected to play in World Series game three after injury scare: Roberts
- Centre-left opposition leads in Lithuania election
- Sainz wins Mexico Grand Prix as Norris makes most of Verstappen penalty
- Trump leads New York rally as Harris targets grassroots
- Centre-lift opposition leads in Lithuania election
- Injured Springbok Willemse to miss November Tests
- NFL Browns upset Ravens while Tagovailoa loses in comeback
- Yildiz saves Juve in eight-goal thriller at Inter as Napoli pull away
- Bolivia's ex-president blames govt as shots fired at him
- Japan ruling coalition projected to lose majority in election
- Yildiz drags Juve back from brink in eight-goal thriller at Inter
- Ford added to England squad for New Zealand clash
- Faltering Atletico stumble again at Real Betis
- Ohtani to play World Series game three after injury scare - report
- In uncertain US election, two prestige papers refuse to pick sides
- England's Slade eager to face New Zealand after Exeter return
- 'Venom' still kills, topping N.American box office
- Conservatives top Bulgarian elections but fall short of majority
- Liverpool hold Arsenal in Premier League title clash, Man Utd beaten
- Chelsea's Palmer reminds Maresca of Blues favourite Zola
- Bayern thump Bochum to retake Bundesliga top spot
- Salah strikes late as Liverpool snatch draw at title rivals Arsenal
- Georgia opposition calls election results protests as president accuses Russia
- Egypt proposes two-day Gaza truce in hope of full ceasefire
- Ex-president of Bolivia blames government as shots fired at him
- Beaten Man Utd only lacking good fortune, claims Ten Hag
- Postecoglou says Spurs out-battled in Crystal Palace loss
- EU urges Georgia vote probe as ex-president calls for mass protests
- Malinin wins Skate Canada for North American Grand Prix double
- Mpetshi Perricard powers to 'amazing' first ATP 500 title in Basel
- Bayern thump Bochum to retake top spot
- West Ham pile more pressure on Ten Hag, Palmer fires Chelsea to victory
- Balotelli set for Italy return with injury-hit strugglers Genoa
- Japan ruling coalition projected to miss majority in election
- Netanyahu declares Iran strike a success as Israel pounds Lebanon, Gaza
- Draper holds off Khachanov for first ATP 500 title in Vienna
- Left seeks to unseat conservative in Uruguay president vote
- 'Failing' Judge vows to dig Yankees out of World Series hole
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- Netanyahu hails 'precise' strike on Iran as Israel pounds Lebanon, Gaza
- Steen Olsen wins World Cup opener as Hirscher wows on comeback
- Georgia thrown into political turmoil after disputed vote
- Japan ruling party projected to miss majority in election
Ohtani translator charted with stealing over $16 mn from Dodgers star
The former Japanese-language translator for Shohei Ohtani was charged with bank fraud on Thursday for allegedly stealing more than $16 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar to pay off gambling debts.
Ippei Mizuhara, 39, made a series of unauthorized transfers from Ohtani's checking account between November 2021 and January 2024, the Justice Department said.
US federal prosecutor Martin Estrada told a press conference there was no evidence to suggest Ohtani was aware of or involved in Mizuhara's illegal gambling activity.
"I want to emphasise this point: Mr. Ohtani is considered a victim in this case," Estrada said.
Ohtani, the biggest star in baseball, joined the Dodgers last December in a record-breaking $700 million deal.
The 29-year-old Ohtani told reporters last month that he has never bet on baseball and had not known previously about Mizuhara's gambling problems. Ohtani has not said in public how so much money could go missing from his account without his knowledge.
According to the Justice Department, Mizuhara transferred more than $16 million from Ohtani's bank account "to pay off his own substantial gambling debts incurred with an illegal bookmaking operation."
It said Mizuhara in 2018 accompanied Ohtani, who did not speak any English at the time, to a bank branch in Arizona to open an account.
"Ohtani's salary from playing professional baseball was deposited into this account and he never gave Mizuhara control of this or any of his other financial accounts," according to an affidavit in the case.
"Mizuhara allegedly told Ohtani's US-based financial professionals, none of whom spoke Japanese, that Ohtani denied them access to the account," the department added.
Estrada said that while employed as Ohtani's interpreter, Mizuhara had in fact operated as the baseball star's "de facto manager."
- 'Used and abused' trust -
"Due to the position of trust he occupied with Mr. Ohtani, Mr. Mizuhara had unique access to Mr. Ohtani's finances," Estrada said.
"He used and abused that position of trust in order to take advantage of Mr. Ohtani and to feed his insatiable appetite for sports betting," Estrada said, adding that Mizuhara "committed fraud on a massive scale."
The Justice Department complaint detailed a staggering volume and value of wagers placed by Mizuhara as his gambling spiralled out of control.
Between December 2021 and January 2024, Mizuhara placed approximately 19,000 bets ranging in value from $10 to $160,000 at an average of around $12,800 per bet. During that period, Mizuhara had winning bets worth $142.3 million, and losing bets of $182.9 million -- leaving him with losses of roughly $40.7 million.
The complaint detailed that contact information on Ohtani's bank account was later changed to link it to Mizuhara's phone number and to an anonymous email address connected to Mizuhara, the affidavit said.
Mizuhara also would allegedly falsely identify himself as Ohtani to trick bank employees into authorizing wire transfers.
Bank recordings of telephone calls captured Mizuhara impersonating Ohtani as he sought to make wire transfers.
The Justice Department said Ohtani, in an interview with law enforcement, had denied authorizing Mizuhara's wire transfers.
"Ohtani provided his cellphone to law enforcement, who determined that there was no evidence to suggest that Ohtani was aware of, or involved in, Mizuhara's illegal gambling activity or payment of those debts," the department added.
Major League Baseball's gambling policy bars "any player, umpire, or club or league official or employee" from betting on baseball or making illegal bets on any other sport.
Players found guilty of betting on a game they were involved in are subject to life bans, with one-year suspensions if they are found to have gambled on games they are not directly involved in.
Ohtani is a rarity in baseball in that he combines elite level pitching and hitting ability, making him a generational talent who has been portrayed as a modern-day version of Babe Ruth.
Those skills and his clean-cut image have made him the global face of baseball.
Bank fraud carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.
Y.Kobayashi--AMWN