Ohtanis ex-interpreter receives 4 years and 9 months for sports betting

Ohtanis ex-interpreter receives 4 years and 9 months for sports betting

Santa Ana, California (AP)-The former interpreter of the baseball star was sentenced to four and a half years in prison and three years of surveillance supervision on Thursday. This happened in connection with banking and tax fraud after he was almost $ 17 million from the Bank account of the player of the Los Angeles dodgers had stolen.

The judgment against Ippei Mibuhara

Ippei Mibuhara , which was to support the communication between the Japanese athlete and his English-speaking teammates and fans After his declaration of guilty last year, sentenced to a federal court in Santa Ana last year. He was instructed on Thursday to pay $ 18 million compensation, whereby almost $ 17 million should go to ohtani and the rest to the tax office. He has to contact the authorities by March 24th to compete with his prison.

shocking theft and consequences

"The extent of theft - $ 17 million - is terrifyingly high in my opinion," said the U.S. District Judge John W. Holcomb at the verdict. Holcomb emphasized that most people don't make so much money in their lives. "I hope that Mr. Mibuhara will be able to repay this sum," he added. "That will still be shown."

Mibuhara's debt and gambling addiction

MIZUHARA admitted to having used the money to pay his growing game debts with an illegal bookmaker, as well as to pay baseball cards worth $ 325,000 and his own dentistry bills. His lawyer rejected a statement after the negotiation. This case might be the most famous baseball player in the WORLD who had previously played for the Los Angeles Angels, and led to an international media tower. He was part of a greater determination of illegal sports betting organizations in Southern California and the money laundering through casinos in Las Vegas, which resulted in several accused.

process and amazing revelations

"The years of the theft of Geldern by Mr. Ohtani and the countless lies he told ohtanes agents and financial advisors to cover up his theft, represent a calculated betrayal of exactly the person he should support," wrote the public prosecutors in court documents. In a letter to the court, Mibuhara described his financial difficulties and gambling addiction, hoping to solve his money problems. He also expressed his admiration for Ohtani and his regret.

confession and unfortunate circumstances

"I ask for a little grace of the court regarding my punishment," wrote Mibuhara. "I really admire Shohe as a baseball player and as a person and was determined to devote my life so that Shohei can be the best version of himself on the pitch. I would like to say that I am sorry to have hurt his trust in me."

Detailed scam

Mibuhara had accessed Ohtanis account from 2021 and changed the security protocols to output themselves as ohtani and to authorize transfers. By 2024, Mizuhara had used the money to buy around $ 325,000 for baseball cards from online retailers and had bet that millions of dollars that did not belong to him, NBA, NFL and College Football were set.

ohtani as an unintentional victim

The prosecutors stated that Mibuhara never bet on baseball and that Ohtani was an ignorant victim of the plan. "There is no doubt that Mr. Ohtani is actually a victim and suffered from the behavior of the accused damage he will continue to bear," wrote the prosecutors.

background story

Michael G. Freedman, Mibuhara's lawyer, mentioned in court documents that his client was a more playful one who made a "terrible mistake" and suffered from the loss of his job and reputation. Mibuhara takes responsibility for his actions and expected to be deported to his home country of Japan after serving his punishment. Mibuhara was born in Japan and moved to California with his parents at the age of 6. He had difficulty learning English, but finally made it and returned to Japan in 2013 to become interpreters for a Japanese baseball team and later for ohtani.

The personal relationship with ohtani

The two developed a close bond, and Mibuhara moved to the USA in 2018 with Ohtani, where he took numerous orders for the player, such as purchases. Mibuhara stood by Ohtani during many career highlights, for example when he acted as his Catcher during the Home Run Derby at the All-Star Game 2021 and at his two MVP awards in the American League and his record-breaking $ 700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Away from the square, Mibuhara ohtanis was a friend and confidant. During the Lockouts of the MLB in 2021, he surprisingly resigned from the Los Angeles Angels in order to continue to be able to communicate with ohtani and was stopped again after an agreement.

a successful degree

Last year Ohtani and the Dodgers won the World Series, and the baseball star received its third award as the most valuable player.