Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara is charged with bank fraud after allegedly stealing over $16MILLION from the baseball star to pay his gambling debt

Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara has been charged with bank fraud after allegedly stealing over $16million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player to pay off a gambling debt.

Federal authorities have filed a complaint accusing Mizuhara of bank fraud - which can carry a maximum fine of up to $1million and/or up to 30 years in prison.

In the complaint, Ohtani - who was referred to as a 'professional baseball player' - informed authorities that he did not authorize the transfers.

Attorneys for Ohtani, who signed a $700m contract with the Dodgers last winter, said that he was the victim of a 'massive theft.

According to a statement from the US Attorney's Office for the Central District of California, the complaint is 'merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.'

Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara has been charged with bank fraud after allegedly stealing over $16million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player

The statement says a criminal investigation is underway by the IRS and the Department of Homeland Security.

In that statement, it's revealed that Ohtani told law enforcement that he denied authorizing Mizuhara's wire transfers to pay off gambling debts.

Ohtani turned his cell phone in to law enforcement, 'who determined that there was no evidence to suggest that Ohtani was aware of, or involved in, Mizuhara’s illegal gambling activity or payment of those debts.'

'In September 2021, Mizuhara began gambling with an illegal sports book and, several months later, started losing substantial sums of money,' the statement states. 

'During this time, the contact information on Ohtani’s bank account allegedly was changed to link the account to Mizuhara’s phone number and to an anonymous email address connected to Mizuhara.'

According to Front Office Sports, Mizuhara placed 19,000 wagers between December 2021 and January 2024 - with the average bet being about $12,800, the largest bet being about $160,000, and net losses of $40.7m.

Authorities also say that Mizuhara allegedly phoned Ohtani's bank and falsely identified himself as Ohtani to 'trick bank employees into authorizing wire transfers from Ohtani's bank account to associates of the illegal gambling operation.' 

Pictured: Martin Estrada, US Attorney for the Central District of California

Mizuhara was fired by the Dodgers while in Korea when the theft was initially revealed

Mizuhara was fired by the LA Dodgers last month after Ohtani's attorneys accused him of theft.

Initial reports said that Mizuhara was accused of stealing $4.5m, but the number he's been accused of now is much larger.

Mizuhara is not accused of gambling on baseball, the US Attorney said. 

The attorney's office says Mizuhara is expected to appear in US District Court in Los Angeles 'for his initial appearance in the near future'.