Ohtani interpreter to plead guilty
the former interpreter for Dodgers star shohei ohtani has agreed to plead guilty to bank and tax fraud in a sports betting case in which prosecutors allege he stole nearly $17 million from the Japanese baseball player to pay off debts, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.
the scandal surrounding Ippei Mizuhara shocked baseball fans from the United States to Japan when the news broke in march.
mizuhara will plead guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of subscribing to a false tax return, the US Justice Department announced. the bank fraud charge carries a maximum of 30 years in federal prison, and the false tax return charge carries a sentence of up to three years in federal prison.
the plea agreement says mizuhara will be required to pay Ohtani restitution that could total nearly $17 million, as well as more than $1 million to the IRS. those amounts could change prior to sentencing.
mizuhara will enter his guilty plea in the coming weeks and is set to be arraigned may 14, prosecutors said.
“the extent of this defendant’s deception and theft is massive,” United States Attorney Martin estrada said in a statement. “He took advantage of his position of trust to take advantage of mr. Ohtani and fuel a dangerous gambling habit.”
mizuhara exploited his personal and professional relationship with Ohtani to plunder millions from the player’s account for years, at times impersonating Ohtani to bankers, prosecutors said. mizuhara’s winning bets totaled over $142 million, which he deposited in his own bank account and not Ohtani’s. But his losing bets were around $183 million, a net loss of nearly $41 million. He did not wager on baseball.
mizuhara helped Ohtani open a bank account in 2018 and began stealing money from that account in 2021, according to the plea agreement. At one point, mizuhara charged the security protocols, email and phone number associated with it so that calls came directly to him, not Ohtani, when the back was trying to verify wire transfers. mizuhara impersonated Ohtani to the bank about 24 times, according to the agreement.
mizuhara also admitted to falsifying his 2022 tax returns by underreporting his income by more than $4 million.
rays stop Phillies
bryce Harper chucked his bat toward the dugout in anger after a groundout in the eighth inning and the Phillies left the tying run stranded on base in the ninth, enough for the Blue Jays to hold on for a 5-3 victory that ended Philadelphia's home winning streak at 11 games.
Harper, who had homered in the last three games, went to the plate in the eighth with the Phillies down, 5-2, with two outs and a runner on second base. He just missed his pitch and grounded a slider to second off Blue Jays reliever tim Mayza, then flung his bat with such force that it nearly clipped Phillies infield coach bobby Dickerson.
“He's a perfectionist,” manager rob thomson said. “He wants to do well, for the team, the city, the organization. He gets frustrated.”
Jordan romano gave up an RBI single to bryson stott in the ninth but retired Whit Merrifield on a foul pop with two runners on base for his fifth save.
the Phillies snapped an overall seven-game winning streak and fell shy of the franchise-record 12 straight victories at citizens Bank Park. the Phillies won 16 straight home games in 1977 and 1991 at Veterans Stadium.
Padres blank Cubs
Dylan Cease struck out 12 and combined with two relievers on a one-hitter, and the Padres beat the cubs, 3-0, at chicago.
cease (5-2) went seven innings in a triumphant return to chicago after the White Sox dealt him to San Diego in march. He allowed the cubs’ lone hit when Yan Gomes reached on a slow roller toward the second baseman in the third.