sport news Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara pleads guilty to bank fraud ... trends now

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Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, has opted to plead guilty to bank fraud after allegedly stealing $17million from the baseball star, the Central District of California's Attorney's Office announced on Wednesday.

The count of bank fraud carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. Mizuhara will also plead guilty to one count of subscribing to a false tax return, which carries a sentence of up to three years.

He is expected to enter a guilty plea 'in the coming weeks,' with his arraignment scheduled for May 14. The plea agreement says Mizuhara will be required to pay Ohtani restitution that could total nearly $17M, as well as more than $1M to the IRS. Those amounts could change prior to sentencing.

The scandal surrounding Mizuhara shocked baseball fans from the U.S. to Japan when the news broke in March. Mizuhara exploited his personal and professional relationship with Ohtani to plunder millions from the two-way player's account for years, at times impersonating Ohtani to bankers, prosecutors said. 

Mizuhara's winning bets totaled over $142M, which he deposited in his own bank account and not Ohtani's. But his losing bets were around $183M, a net loss of nearly $41M. He did not wager on baseball.