Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter for Dodger star Shohei Ohtani, pleaded not guilty to bank and tax fraud on Tuesday; however, he will plead guilty at a later date.
It’s part of an ongoing plea deal in exchange for a reduced sentence. KNX News’ Emily Valdez reported that the judge acknowledged this in the courtroom.
If convicted, Mizhuara could face up to 30 years in prison; however, if a deal is struck he could face six to 10 years.
Last month, the 39-year-old was charged with federal bank fraud for stealing more than $16 million from Ohtani to cover Mizhuara’s gambling debt.
U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said Mizhaura helped Ohtani set up a bank account.
“Mr. Mizuhara had access to that bank account and he refused to give access to Mr. Ohtani’s other professional advisors, including his agent, his accountant, and his financial advisor, and he told them that Mr. Ohtani wanted to keep that account,” he said.
In March, Mizuhara told ESPN that he’d asked Ohtani to pay off the gambling debt and that Ohtani had done so. He later recanted his statements.
Ohtani maintained he didn’t know Mizuhara took money from his account. Federal investigators have since cleared him.
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