An interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has agreed to plead guilty to criminal charges after secretly transferring about $17 million from the player’s account to pay off gambling debts.
The U.S. Justice Department said on Wednesday that Ippei Suwon incurred debts through illegal gambling operations without Ohtani’s knowledge. Suwon is expected to plead guilty in the coming weeks to bank fraud and filing false tax returns.
“He used his position of trust to exploit Mr. Ohtani to facilitate a dangerous gambling habit,” Martin Estrada, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, said in a statement.
The plea deal comes as Ohtani, the rare pitcher-hitter combo who signed a record $700 million contract with the Dodgers in December, has become emblematic of MLB’s efforts to expand its brand globally.
The Japanese prodigy began playing in California in 2018, with Seiji Mizuhara serving as translator as his career took off in the United States. According to federal prosecutors, Suwon, who was charged in April, was not only the 29-year-old’s translator but also his close friend and de facto manager.
Suwon’s attorney, Michael Friedman, declined to comment. A Dodgers spokesman did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.
The Justice Department outlined the details of Suwon’s fraud Wednesday when it announced Suwon’s guilty plea. In 2018, Suwon gained access to Ohtani’s bank account after helping him open an account at a branch in Phoenix. It took Otani’s bank login details for years and a half to get an unrestricted paycheck.
He also changed security protocols on Daegu’s account so banks could call Suwon to verify any wire transfers, according to prosecutors.
The government said the translator embezzled nearly $17 million from Ohtani’s account. He faces more than 30 years in prison.
Despite the disruption from the scandal, Ohtani is having a big season for the Dodgers, who are in first place in the National League West. He led the team in batting average, home runs and hits.
An arm injury has kept him from pitching this year. He played six seasons at the Speedway in Anaheim for the Los Angeles Angels before signing with the Dodgers.
