News trucks lined Temple Street in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday (14 May) where Ippei Mizuhara was surrounded by Japanese and English-language reporters as he walked into his arraignment in federal court. Mizuhara pleaded not guilty to fraud charges as a “procedural matter,” with the intent to change his plea as early as next week.
Mizuhara, the ex-interpreter for LA Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, faces up to 33 years in prison and $1.25m in fines. He agreed last week to plead guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of filing a false tax return. Mizuhara’s theft and illegal gambling were first reported on 20 March and the translator turned himself in to authorities on 12 April.
The arraignment took place at the Edward R Roybal Center and Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles.
As a testament to Ohtani’s popularity, an auxiliary courtroom was jammed with 46 reporters from media outlets, including CNN, Bloomberg and the Associated Press. Reporters signed a petition criticisi..
