Ohtani's ex-interpreter to plead guilty to fraud

Key Facts

• Image source, USA Today Sports Image caption, Ippei Mizuhara The former interpreter of Japanese baseball star Shohei Ohtani has agreed to plead guilty to US charges that he illegally transferred nearly $17m (£14m) from the athlete's bank account.
• In a deal between Ippei Mizuhara and Los Angeles prosecutors, he will plead guilty to counts of bank fraud and subscribing to a false tax return.
• Prosecutors allege that Mr Mizuhara, 39, had called bank officials and "falsely identified himself as [Mr] Ohtani to trick employees into authorizing wire transfers from [Mr] Ohtani's bank account to associates of the illegal gambling operation".
• The bank fraud charge is punishable by up to 30 years in prison, and the false tax return charge carries a sentence of up to three years in jail.

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