Ippei Mizuhara, former interpreter for MLB star Shohei Ohtani, is facing charges for stealing $17 million from Ohtani to pay off sports betting debts. Prosecutors argue there's little evidence of gambling addiction, despite Mizuhara's request for a lesser sentence.
Ippei Mizuhara requests 18-month sentence, lesser penalty for actions in sports betting scandal. Feds argue there's little evidence Shohei Ohtani's ex-interpreter had gambling addiction.The former interpreter for MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani wasn’t battling a gambling addiction when he stole $17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers sensation to pay off sports betting debts, federal prosecutors claimed in a court document filed Thursday.
Prosecutors say they researched more than 30 casinos across the U.S. and found that Mizuhara spent $200 at the Mirage in Las Vegas in 2008. Other evidence they included in their filing showed that the defendant opened a FanDuel Sportsbook account in 2018 but never placed a wager with the online operator.
Prosecutors also claim that Mizuhara didn’t have outrageous debts and chose to take Ohtani’s money without intent to pay the Dodgers star back. In March 2023, Mizuhara had more than $30,000 in his bank account, and over $195,000 a year later, when the Dodgers fired him and the scandal came to light.Mizuhara began accumulating massive gambling debts after he began using illegal bookmaker Mathew Bowyer in September 2021 and racked up a net loss of $41 million.
GAMBLING SPORTS BETTING SHOHEI OHTANI IPPEI MIZUHARA MLB
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