Although Ippei Mizuhara entered a plea of not guilty on Tuesday in a procedural move, the former interpreter of Shohei Ohtani is still expected to cooperate with prosecutors in a plea agreement on federal bank fraud charges.
Mizuhara, the disgraced ex-interpreter of Ohtani, is accused of embezzling approximately $17 million from the MLB star to recoup a massive gambling debt. Following a brief hearing, Mizuhara declined to speak with a large contingent of reporters outside a Los Angeles courtroom.
The former Ohtani confidant is scheduled to go on trial July 3, with a pre-trial hearing set for June 14. However, it is widely believed that Mizuhara will plead guilty beforehand. Last week, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced that Mizuhara will agree to plead guilty to two federal charges — one count of bank fraud and one count of filing a false tax return.
A media circus
Mizuhara made the not guilty plea before Magistrate Jean P. Rosenbluth inside a courtroom at the Roybal Federal Building. Due to the intense scrutiny of the case, reporters were not allowed to enter the courtroom. Rosenbluth, a former reporter, apologized to the media for moving the press to an auxiliary room inside the building. Mizuhara waived his right for a grand jury indictment.