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.

A former interpreter was sentenced on Thursday to nearly five years in prison for stealing $17 million from Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani to pay off gambling debts, according to a court document.

Ippei Mizuhara agreed to a plea deal last spring related to what authorities described as a years-long scheme to steal almost $17 million from Ohtani.