Ippei Mizuhara — Shohei Ohtani‘s former interpreter — just showed up to court and pleaded guilty to two federal charges … stemming from allegations he stole from the MLB superstar in order to pay off gambling debts.
The 39-year-old hit a Santa Ana, CA courthouse early Tuesday morning … and was mobbed by a throng of reporters as he made his way to the proceedings.
He did not, however, address the media as he traversed through all the cameras.
Once inside, Mizuhara — wearing a suit jacket and a white shirt — told a judge he used funds from an Ohtani bank account to help clear himself of a major gambling debt he had amassed. He then pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of tax fraud.
A sentencing hearing was then put on the docket for late October. Officials say Mizuhara is facing up to 33 years behind bars.
Following the meeting with the judge, Mizuhara left the courthouse without speaking to reporters.
The mob surrounding Ippei Mizuhara as he left the courthouse. He did not have any comment. pic.twitter.com/fPMvhyezLr
— Alden González (@Alden_Gonzalez) June 4, 2024
@Alden_Gonzalez
The results of Tuesday’s proceedings were expected — as Mizuhara and prosecutors had reached a plea agreement in the case last month.
The Dodgers, meanwhile, said in a statement following the guilty pleas that Ohtani and the rest of the LA team are hoping to “put this entire matter behind them and move forward in pursuit of a World Series title.”
For MLB’s part, it said in its own statement it considers Ohtani “a victim of fraud and this matter has been closed.”