Crimes using trust relationships cause great damage.
Mizuhara Ifei, an interpreter who was fired for allegedly touching money from Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers) of the National League Baseball (MLB) to pay off his illegal gambling debt, has been charged with bank fraud by U.S. federal prosecutors. Mizuhara will make an appearance in federal court in downtown Los Angeles soon. Mizuhara was fired after he was found to have transferred money from Ohtani’s account to a gambler to pay off his illegal gambling debt during the MLB Seoul Series at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul.
Federal prosecutor Martin Estrada told a news conference that Mizuhara had stolen more than $16 million from Ohtani’s bank account to pay for his sports gambling and lied to the bank to access Ohtani’s bank account.
Prosecutor Estrada said Mizuhara helped open Ohtani’s bank payroll account while serving as Ohtani’s de facto manager. “I want to stress that Ohtani is considered a victim of the incident,” he said, adding that there was no evidence that Ohtani was aware of Mizuhara’s actions.
A federal court judge in Los Angeles (LA) allowed Mizuhara’s bail, ordering her not to come into contact with any form of victim (Otani) or witness in the case and to receive treatment for gambling addiction.
SOPHIA KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
