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July 11, 2025
The first half of 2025 saw a flurry of activity in the enforcement of sports betting rules, with two NBA veterans finding themselves at the center of a federal gambling probe, two mixed martial arts fighters receiving lengthy suspensions, and Shohei Ohtani's disgraced interpreter catching a 57-month prison sentence for theft.
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February 07, 2025
In this week's Off The Bench, the NCAA changes course to accommodate a presidential ban on transgender women athletes, Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter is sentenced for his gambling-driven embezzlement, and women's soccer players get restitution for abuse at the hands of their coaches and teams.
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February 06, 2025
A California federal judge on Thursday ordered Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter to serve 57 months in prison for stealing nearly $17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar to pay off massive gambling debts, remarking that he found the defendant's claims regarding his financial stress "to be a bit misleading."
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January 24, 2025
Prosecutors urged a California federal judge Thursday to sentence Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter to nearly five years in prison for stealing nearly $17 million from the MLB superstar to help pay massive gambling debts, while defense counsel argued that he should serve only 18 months because of his "severe gambling addiction."
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December 19, 2024
A messy gambling and fraud scandal that victimized Major League Baseball's best player, the blackballing of an NBA journeyman and rising fears about the integrity of college sports all marked a busy year for sports attorneys tracking the patchwork of enforcement efforts to crack down on illicit betting activity.
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June 07, 2024
In this week's Off The Bench, the NFL stands trial in a massive antitrust class action over its Sunday Ticket broadcast package, a series of sports betting crackdowns makes waves in the MLB and the NBA, and the U.S. Tennis Association denies any liability for a player's sexual assault by her coach.
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June 04, 2024
Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter pled guilty Tuesday to bank and tax fraud charges in a packed Santa Ana, California, federal courtroom, admitting he stole nearly $17 million from the MLB superstar to help pay off massive gambling debts.
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May 14, 2024
Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter pleaded not guilty Tuesday to bank and tax fraud charges in a Los Angeles federal courtroom, although it was a procedural formality as he already reached a plea deal with prosecutors, and his attorney told a U.S. magistrate judge his client will plead guilty.
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May 10, 2024
In this week's Off The Bench, Shohei Ohtani's ex-interpreter will plead guilty, an NBA star wins in his clash with the agent who sought to represent him, and a tennis player who was abused by her former coach is awarded $9 million.
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May 08, 2024
The former interpreter for Shohei Ohtani agreed to plead guilty to criminal charges Wednesday in connection with a scheme to steal nearly $17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers star to pay off debts he amassed through an illegal gambling operation.