Sawt Falasteen - Ohtani's ex-interpreter sentenced to nearly five years in betting-linked theft

Ippei Mizuhara was also ordered to pay restitution of more than $18.1 million in his sentencing in federal court in Santa Ana, California.

Mizuhara pleaded guilty in June to one count of bank fraud and one count of filing a false tax return.

The bank fraud charge alone could have carried a prison sentence of up to 30 years.

Mizuhara was ordered to surrender to authorities on March 24. After his prison sentence, he will be subject to three years of supervised release.

The sentencing by US District Judge John Holcomb caps a scandal that rocked Major League Baseball at the beginning of the 2024 season.

Ohtani, whose pitching and hitting skills have drawn comparisons to Babe Ruth, had signed the richest contract in North American sports history to join the Los Angeles Dodgers last December, a deal worth $700 million.

Mizuhara, who had worked with Ohtani while he was with the Los Angeles Angels, came with him to the Dodgers, but the team fired him last April following accusations of theft.

Mizuhara initially said Ohtani had loaned him money to repay gambling debts.

But investigators found that he had stolen the money, with prosecutors saying Mizuhara siphoned millions from Ohtani to finance an "insatiable appetite" for illegal sports gambling.

After an initial April court appearance, Mizuhara's lawyer said his client wished to apologize to "Ohtani, the Dodgers and Major League Baseball" and "take responsibility" for his actions.

Prosecutors stressed throughout the case that Ohtani was an innocent victim of Mizuhara's deception and there was no evidence to suggest the Dodgers star was aware of or involved in illegal gambling.

G.AbuHamad--SF-PST