Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani was backstabbed by his "royal" translator Kazuhei Mizuhara, which was even more shocking than his "home run" on the court. His bank account was embezzled by former translator Kazuhei Mizuhara, who had as much as $17 million stolen. This incident is not only about huge sums of money, but also about trust and betrayal.
Then again, Shohei Ohtani, the Japanese star who has dominated the MLB arena, would never have imagined that he would be in a financial turmoil because of his trust.
In March this year, Shohei Ohtani went to Seoul, South Korea to play a game, and his personal translator, Kazuhei Mizuhara, made small moves behind his back. According to the investigation, the translator was not only involved in illegal gambling, but also used Otani's account to pay off gambling debts, and as soon as this incident came out, the Dodgers immediately fired Suwon Ippei, and the U.S. federal prosecutor also intervened in the investigation.
Shohei Ohtani's new translator, who is now the Dodgers' head of data analysis, Ayrton, is also a settled matter. But Suwon Ippei's crime is not so easy to erase. According to the announcement of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles, California, Mizuhara and prosecutors reached a plea agreement, a 33-page record of the agreement, like a thick crime book, recording Mizuhara's misdeeds.
Mizuhara pleaded guilty to bank fraud and filing false tax bills, which together carry him a maximum sentence of 33 years in prison.
He also has to pay a $1.25 million tax fine, though prosecutors may recommend a reduced sentence under the plea agreement. Mizuhara Ippei must compensate Shohei Ohtani in full, amounting to $16,975,010.
This amount of money, for ordinary people, is simply astronomical. The case will go to trial on May 14, and Mizuhara's lawyer declined to respond to this, while Shohei Ohtani's spokesman and the Dodgers have not yet commented.
The cause of this incident can be traced back to September 2021, when Suwon Ippei began to collude with illegal gambling companies to bet on sports events.
When Mizuhara Ippei, who was unlucky, lost more and more, and his losses snowballed, he began to play with the idea of Shohei Ohtani's bank account.
He took advantage of Shohei Ohtani's trust in him and resorted to various tricks, including changing the security procedures and contact information of bank accounts, and even calling the bank impersonating Shohei Ohtani at least 24 times. Even Shohei Otani's dental treatment fee, Mizuhara Ippei didn't let go, which really makes people cry and laugh.
This incident is not only a financial turmoil, but also a crisis of confidence. Shohei Ohtani's trust was betrayed, and Kazuhei Mizuhara paid a heavy price for his greed and stupidity.
Trust, which is the most precious bond in human relationships, is only a broken fragment when it is eroded by greed and fraud. This incident was a big blow to Shohei Ohtani personally, and it is estimated that he will have a hard time trusting a person in the future.