Shohei Ohtani's ex-interpreter Ippei Mizuhara in custody after allegedly stealing millions in gambling scheme

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Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, turned himself into law enforcement on Friday, the Department of Justice announced.

"Ippei Mizuhara surrendered this morning to the custody of the United States Marshals Service," federal authorities said Friday in a statement sent to Fox News Digital.

A criminal complaint and affidavit filed on Thursday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles alleges that Mizuhara participated in bank fraud by embezzling more than $16 million from the Japanese baseball great to cover gambling wagers and debts. Prosecutors asserted that Mizuhara took advantage of the language barrier to plunder a bank account that only he could access.

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Japanese baseball player Shohei Ohtani's interpreter Ippei Mizuhara appears during a press conference after Ohtani signed a 10-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles on Dec. 14, 2023. (FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)

U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said Mizuhara was so intertwined in Ohtani’s life and career that he became the star’s "de facto manager." The role enabled him to withdraw money from the account — at times lying and impersonating Ohtani to bank employees — to finance his "insatiable appetite for illegal sports betting."

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Thursday’s announcement ended weeks of speculation about Mizuhara’s self-admitted gambling problems, the wide-ranging federal investigation and Ohtani’s role in the scandal.

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Estrada said that there is no evidence that