The former interpreter for Japanese baseball star Shohei Ohtani has been sentenced to four years and nine months in prison. Ippei Mizuhara pleaded guilty last year to bank and tax fraud. He was accused of stealing nearly $17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s bank account to cover his gambling bets and debts. Mizuhara was supposed to bridge the gap between Ohtani and his English-speaking teammates and fans. Prosecutors said Mizuhara never bet on baseball, and Ohtani was an unknowing victim of the scheme. The case stemmed from a broader probe of illegal sports bookmaking organizations in Southern California.
