Sports
Shohei Ohtani’s ex-interpreter Ippei Mizuhara banned from delivering Uber Eats amid fraud scandal
![Shohei Ohtani’s ex-interpreter Ippei Mizuhara banned from delivering Uber Eats amid fraud scandal Shohei Ohtani’s ex-interpreter Ippei Mizuhara banned from delivering Uber Eats amid fraud scandal](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/newspress-collage-exu358f3j-1717821048796.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&1717806731&w=1024)
Shohei Ohtani’s ex-interpreter received the boot from yet another job.
Ippei Mizuhara was banned from delivering for Uber Eats, a day after The Post shared exclusive photos of the former Dodgers employee making deliveries across Los Angeles amid his betting scandal.
Mizuhara’s banishment from the delivery app is due to his pending litigation, the company told NBC Los Angeles.
“Mizuhara has been an Uber Eats courier for a few years. Given these recent charges, he no longer has access to the platform,” Uber spokesperson Gabriela Condarco-Quesada told the outlet.
In one photo, Mizuhara was spotted in a black hat, sweatshirt and shorts carrying a red delivery bag to an apparent customer’s home.
Other photos captured Mizuhara delivering drinks and paper towels.
He was even caught stopping for a quick smoke break.
Earlier this week, Mizuhara pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud while admitting to stealing nearly $17 million from the Japanese baseball superstar to pay off his own sports betting debts.
The disgraced translator had used his personal and professional connection with Ohtani to steal millions from the two-way player’s account for years.
He even at times impersonated Ohtani to bankers.
Mizuhara’s winning bets totaled over $142 million, which he deposited into his bank account while his losses amounted to roughly $183 million.
Mizuhara had recently changed teams from the Angels to the Dodgers when Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million megadeal during the offseason.
The Dodgers fired Mizuhara, who did not bet on baseball, in March.
Ohtani has spoken sparingly since the scandal emerged, but he released his own statement after the guilty plea.
“Now that the investigation has been completed, this full admission of guilt has brought important closure to me and my family,” Ohtani said. “I want to sincerely thank the authorities for finishing their thorough and effective investigation so quickly and uncovering all of the evidence.
The baseball superstar was formally cleared by MLB in the league’s own investigation and Mizuhara’s guilty plea.
Mizuhara’s sentencing hearing is set for Oct. 25.
Mizuhara’s betting scandal was the first major gambling scandal to rock the league since betting was legalized in many states.
On Tuesday, the MLB handed down a lifetime ban to Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano, who was found to have bet on 25 Pirates games while he was on their injured list, but did not appear in any of them.
Marcano did not win any of the wagers.
The league also gave one-year suspensions to four other players who violated the league’s sports betting policy.