SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — The former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani is set to be sentenced for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly $17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s bank account.

Ippei Mizhuara was supposed to bridge the language gap between the Japanese pitcher — who previously played for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim — and his English-speaking teammates and fans. 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.

His sentencing hearing has been scheduled for Thursday in a federal court in Santa Ana.

Here are some things to know about the case:

Mizuhara has acknowledged stealing nearly $17 million from Ohtani’s bank account to repay some of the gambling bets and debts he had amassed with an illegal bookmaker.

The former interpreter had bet tens of millions of dollars on international soccer, the NBA, the NFL and college football, but not baseball, authorities said.

Mizuhara also used the money to pay for $325,000 in baseball cards and his own dental work.

Authorities said Mizuhara began accessing Ohtani’s account starting in 2021 and changed its security protocols so he could impersonate him to authorize wire transfers.

Mizuhara had helped Ohtani open the bank account in 2018 when the athlete moved from Japan to the United States to play for the Angels.

When he began running up sports gambling debt in 2021, Mizuhara recalled the password and used it to access Ohtani’s account. He took money from the account to pay off his debt and other expenses on various occasions through March 2024.

Mizuhara also told Ohtani’s sports agent and financial advisers the player didn’t want them to access the account because he was afraid they would notice he had stolen the money.

Prosecutors have repeatedly said Ohtani was a victim of the scheme and there was no evidence he was aware of Mizuhara’s gambling.

MLB rules prohibit players and team employees from wagering on sports with illegal or offshore bookmakers, as sports gambling is illegal in California.

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