MLB star Ohtani’s interpreter Mizuhara sentenced to nearly five years in jail

Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter of Los Angeles Dodgers baseball star Shohei Ohtani, has been sentenced to nearly five years in prison for a fraud and gambling scheme.

He was ordered to pay nearly $17m (£13.6m) back to the star after admitting to bank and tax fraud charges. He was also ordered to pay more than $1m to the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in past taxes.

Mizuhara, who had been Ohtani’s English interpreter since his US Major League Baseball debut in 2018, was fired amid media reports last year about his gambling activities, which prompted investigations into Ohtani’s finances.

A probe revealed Mizuhara stole nearly $17 million from the athlete to pay off debts owed to a Southern California bookmaker.