Federal prosecutors alleged on Thursday that Ippei Mizuhara stole more than $16 million from Shohei Ohtani while working as his interpreter and "de facto manager," while clearing the Los Angeles Dodgers star of any wrongdoing in the recent sports betting scandal.

In a news conference in L.A., U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said Mizuhara, who was fired by the Dodgers last month shortly before the story broke, impersonated Ohtani in phone calls with his bank and authorized transactions.

Mizuhara helped Ohtani set up a bank account shortly after his move to the United States from Japan in 2018 in order to play baseball for the L.A. Angels. Mizuhara had access to the account, Estrada said, and refused to share access with other associates of Ohtani, including his agent, accountant and financial advisor.

KTLA's Chris Wolfe reports on April 11, 2024.

Details: https://ktla.com/news/local-news/ohtanis-interpreter-charged-with-bank-fraud-allegedly-stole-16-million-from-baseball-star/

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