LOS ANGELES - Ippei Mizuhara, the longtime interpreter for Shohei Ohtani, was fired by the Los Angeles Dodgers on March 20 after wire transfers from Ohtani’s bank account were sent to a Southern California bookmaking operation, according to multiple media reports.

Ohtani’s attorneys accused Mizuhara of “massive theft” tied to illegal gambling. ESPN reported that at least US$4.5 million (S$6 million) in wire transfers were sent to the bookmaking operation, which is under federal investigation.