NEW YORK, April 11 — Japanese baseball star Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter, who was fired by the Los Angeles Dodgers amid allegations that he stole from Ohtani to cover gambling debts, is in negotiations with federal prosecutors to plead guilty, the New York Times reported.

Ippei Mizuhara has been linked to at least US$4.5 million (RM21.3 million) in payments that were transferred from Ohtani’s account to an illegal Southern California gambling operation, ESPN reported.