Shohei Ohtani’s Ex-Interpreter Sentenced to Nearly 5 Years in Jail for Embezzlement
Ippei Mizuhara is also ordered to repay the $18 million he siphoned from the L.A. Dodgers star's accounts The post Shohei Ohtani’s Ex-Interpreter Sentenced to Nearly 5 Years in Jail for Embezzlement appeared first on TheWrap.
Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, was sentenced to nearly five years in prison on Thursday for stealing millions of dollars from the Los Angeles Dodgers star.
Mizuhara was also ordered to pay more than $18 million in restitution, with the bulk of the money going to Ohtani and the rest to the Internal Revenue Service. According to Ohtani’s attorneys, Mizuhara used the embezzled money to gamble and buy more than $300,000 of baseball cards.
Mizuhara pleaded guilty last year to bank fraud and filing a false tax return. He has until March 24 to surrender. After his 57-month sentence is up, he will remain under supervised release for three years and may also face deportation back to his home country of Japan.
His defense lawyer Michael G. Freedman said Mizuhara is a gambling addict who made a “terrible mistake,” NBC News reported.
Mizuhara wrote to the court asking for “a little mercy” regarding his sentencing. He also apologized Ohtani for betraying his confidence.
“I truly admire Shohei as a baseball player and a human being and I was committed to devote my life so Shohei can be the best version of himself on the field. I want to say I am truly sorry for violating his trust in me.”
Last May, Lionsgate announced that the scandal is being developed as a TV series.
The post Shohei Ohtani’s Ex-Interpreter Sentenced to Nearly 5 Years in Jail for Embezzlement appeared first on TheWrap.
