Report: Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter ordered to seek gambling addiction treatment
MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara has been released on a $25,000 unsecured bond and ordered to be treated for gambling addiction.
Mizuhara was officially charged last week with unlawfully transferring more than $16m from the Los Angeles Dodgers star’s bank account without Ohtani knowing, to pay off his gambling debts with an illegal operator.
Per an ESPN report, during the announcement of the charge by the US Attorney’s Office, which also included federal bank fraud, US magistrate Judge Maria A Audero ordered Mizuhara to not only undergo treatment for his gambling addiction but also forbade him from gambling electronically or in-person – no time frame was mentioned.
An unsecured bond means Mizuhara does not need to put up anything for the bond but should he break the conditions, he will have to pay the $25,000.
Additionally, Mizuhara is prohibited from entering any gambling establishments or associating with any known bookmakers.
In a statement, Mizuhara’s attorney Michael Freedman said the ex-Dodgers employee was hoping to reach a plea deal with the government in order to take responsibility as quickly as possible.
The statement read: “He [Mizuhara] is continuing to cooperate with the legal process and is hopeful that he can reach an agreement with the government to resolve this case as quickly as possible so that he can take responsibility.
“As noted in court, he is also eager to seek treatment for his gambling. We have no further comment at this time, but Mr Mizuhara will be providing further comment as the legal process proceeds.”
The statement added that Mizuhara had apologized to Ohtani, his family, the Dodgers, and Major League Baseball.
ESPN initially broke the story last month after MLB opened an investigation into Mizuhara stealing $4.5m to pay off gambling debts.
The sports broadcasting channel interviewed Mizuhara regarding the allegations, during which the translator initially said Ohtani had offered to help him with his gambling debts but later in a separate conversation with ESPN said that was not the case.
Ohtani denied all knowledge of his ex-interpreter’s actions and no evidence was found linking the former Los Angeles Angel to Mizuhara’s gambling and payment activities.
According to last week’s affidavit, Mizuhara started gambling with an illegal sportsbook in 2021 and averaged around 25 wagers a day. His bets ranged from $10 to $160,000 across a total of 19,000 wagers.