LOS ANGELES: Ippei Mizuhara, a former interpreter for Major League Baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani, appeared on Friday at a federal court in Los Angeles over bank fraud charges.

Mizuhara made his first public appearance since his illegal gambling scandal came to light last month.

After surrendering to judicial authorities on Friday morning, Mizuhara was briefly taken into custody. The court set Mizuhara’s bail at 25,000 dollars. He paid the bail the same day and was released immediately. His next appearance in court will be on May 9, possibly for arraignment.

Mizuhara was ordered not to approach Ohtani and prohibited from leaving the Los Angeles area without court permission. He was also required to undergo a gambling addiction treatment program.

Wearing a dark suit with a white shirt, the shackled former interpreter for the Los Angeles Dodges player entered the courtroom. The shackles were removed later. Asked by the judge if he is Ippei Mizuhara, he answered “yes.”

In a statement issued Friday, Michael Freedman, Mizuhara’s lawyer, said that Mizuhara “wishes to apologize to Mr. Ohtani, the Dodgers, Major League Baseball and his (Ohtani’s) family.”

If convicted, Mizuhara could be sentenced to up to 30 years in prison.

Speaking to a Los Angeles Times reporter, Ohtani said in Japanese that “I’m very grateful for the Department of Justice’s investigation,” according to the newspaper. “For me personally, this marks a break from this, and I’d like to focus on baseball.”

U.S. federal prosecutors Thursday charged Mizuhara with bank fraud, alleging that he illegally transferred more than 16 million dollars from Ohtani’s bank account to a bookmaker to pay off his gambling debts.

The Dodgers fired Mizuhara in March following the revelation of the gambling scandal.

JIJI Press