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Ippei Mizuhara, Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter, is heard impersonating Ohtani to try to get a $200,000 wire transfer approved from Ohtani's bank account in a recording obtained by The Athletic from the Department of Justice.Mizuhara pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud charges in June, admitting to stealing almost $17 million from Ohtani as he amassed a large gambling debt while working as Ohtani's interpreter with the Angels and Dodgers. According to Mizuhara’s plea agreement, he had placed approximately 24 phone calls in which he impersonated Ohtani.In the audio recording, Mizuhara tells a bank agent over the phone that he...

The former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani is facing federal charges related to his alleged theft of millions from the slugger, a source with direct knowledge of the investigation confirmed to ESPN late Wednesday. The New York Times was first to report Wednesday that Ippei Mizuhara, 39, is in negotiations to plead guilty and that the investigation is racing toward a conclusion. The probe started just three weeks ago when news broke that at least $4.5 million was transmitted from Ohtani's bank account to a California bookmaker under federal investigation. In the first of a pair of...