Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter appeared in court in California on Tuesday on charges of illegally transferring nearly $17 million from the baseball star's bank account to pay off gambling debts.
A lawyer for Ippei Mizuhara said the 39-year-old has reached a deal with prosecutors over his charges, which the U.S. Justice Department said will be one count of bank fraud — punishable by up to 30 years in prison — and one count of filing a false tax return, which carries a maximum sentence of three years.
Federal prosecutors have said Mizuhara — Ohtani's long-time friend and confidant — plundered millions from the Los Angeles Dodgers ace's bank account to fund an "insatiable appetite" for gambling.