The former interpreter for Japanese baseball star Shohei Ohtani is expected to be sentenced Thursday for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly $17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s bank account.

Ippei Mizuhara, the former Japanese interpreter who pleaded guilty to stealing from Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani to cover gambling debts, is to be sentenced Thursday.

Ohtani won the 2024 National League MVP award, while Betts was named to his eighth All-Star team and took home his seventh Silver Slugger award. While both Ohtani and Betts saw their production dip in the postseason, the star duo did enough to help the Dodgers win their eighth World Series.

Instead, Mizuhara exploited the language barrier to isolate Ohtani and profit from his proximity to the two-way player ’s power. Mizuhara pleaded guilty last year to federal charges after he was accused of siphoning money out of Ohtani's bank account to cover sports gambling bets and debts in a case that has stoked an international media frenzy.

The former interpreter for Japanese baseball star Shohei Ohtani is expected to be sentenced Thursday for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly $17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player's bank account.