- Mexico aims to be big economic winner from US-China tensions
- Uncertain future for thousands after deadly Brazil floods
- Schauffele makes the putt of his life for first major win
- Wirtz returns to help unbeaten Leverkusen chase history
- Search for Iran's President Raisi after helicopter goes missing
- DeChambeau's powerful putting has him excited for US Open
- Taiwan to swear in new president as China pressure grows
- Atalanta can end 61-year wait for trophy in Europa League final
- Schauffele birdies final hole to capture PGA for first major win
- Guardiola casts doubt over long-term Man City future
- Hollywood icons Costner and Demi Moore make Cannes comeback
- Pacers shoot down Knicks to reach NBA Eastern Conference finals
- Schauffele birdies final hole, captures first major at PGA Championship
- McLaughlin powers to Indy 500 pole in all-Penske front row
- Monaco footballer tapes over LGBTQ badge
- Korda wins sixth LPGA title of year with win at Liberty National
- Pacers put on shooting show to down Knicks, reach NBA Eastern Conference finals
- US envoy touts 'potential' of Israel-Saudi deal in Netanyahu talks
- Dominicans vote for president in poll overshadowed by Haiti crisis
- Brest secure Champions League qualification, PSG win without Mbappe
- Mbappe absent as PSG win final Ligue 1 game
- Still exhausted after arrest, Scheffler closes with 64 at PGA
- Brest secure historic Champions League qualification
- France's Macron calls fresh emergency on New Caledonia unrest
- Taiwan swears in new president as China pressure grows
- Schauffele leads as dramatic PGA back-nine battle begins
- Biden faces silent Gaza protest at Martin Luther King Jr's college
- Ten Hag says Man Utd 'must do everything' to win FA Cup after Premier League flop
- Cannes film follows Egypt feminists on brink of adulthood
- Pep Guardiola: Man City manager addicted to winning
- Jackson wins season opener in Marrakesh with all eyes on Paris
- Things get real as imaginary friend flick 'If' tops N.America box office
- Paris seeks to boost sluggish sales for Paralympic Games
- How a French director pulled off Cannes's crazy Mexican narcos hit
- Man City make case to be ranked as England's greatest-ever team
- Hamdy gives Zamalek second CAF Confederation Cup title
- Rome champion Zverev eyes French Open but wary of Djokovic 'at his best'
- Spain recalls its ambassador to Argentina over 'insult'
- Real Sociedad reach Europa League, Cadiz relegated
- Man City's six Premier League titles in seven years 'insane': Guardiola
- Dramatic last-round showdown under way at PGA Championship
- It may take 100 points to stop Man City, says Arsenal boss Arteta
- Arteta has Arsenal primed for success despite title pain
- Klopp hails 'superpower' fans in emotional Liverpool farewell
- Intense search for Iran's President Raisi after helicopter 'accident'
- Nine dead after attacks on Mexican mayoral candidates
- Hamilton says Mercedes in 'no man's land'
- Inter held by Lazio at title party as debt deadline looms, Sassuolo down
- 'We want more than this': Arteta urges Arsenal to respond after title pain
- Five reasons why Man City won the Premier League
Ohtani interpreter to plead guilty over $17 mn fraud: US Justice Dept
Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter has agreed to plead guilty over charges of illegally transferring nearly $17 million from the baseball star's bank account in order to pay off gambling debts, the United States Justice Department said Wednesday.
Ippei Mizuhara, 39, will plead guilty to one count of bank fraud -- punishable by up to 30 years in prison -- and one count of filing a false tax return, which carries a maximum sentence of three years, the Justice Department said.
Federal prosecutors have said Mizuhara -- Ohtani's long-time friend and confidant -- plundered millions from the Los Angeles Dodgers ace's bank account to fund an "insatiable appetite" for gambling.
Mizuhara is expected to formally enter his guilty plea in the coming weeks, with arraignment scheduled to take place in Los Angeles on May 14.
"The extent of this defendant's deception and theft is massive," United States Attorney Martin Estrada said in a statement on Wednesday.
"He took advantage of his position of trust to take advantage of Mr Ohtani and fuel a dangerous gambling habit," Estrada added.
Japanese sensation Ohtani, currently the biggest star in baseball, joined the Dodgers last December in a record-breaking $700 million deal -- the richest contract in North American sports history.
Tyler Hatcher, special agent in charge from the Internal Revenue Service's criminal investigation unit, said the probe had revealed Mizuhara "not only stole from Mr Ohtani, but also that he lied to the IRS about his income."
"Mr Mizuhara exploited his relationship with Mr Ohtani to bankroll his own irresponsibility," Hatcher said in a statement.
Mizuhara's guilty plea had been expected.
After an initial court appearance last month, his lawyer said he wished to apologize to "Ohtani, the Dodgers, and Major League Baseball" for his actions and sought a swift resolution so he can "take responsibility."
The revelations surrounding Mizuhara erupted as the new baseball season got under way in March, stunning the sports world and potentially embroiling Ohtani in scandal.
Prosecutors have repeatedly emphasized that Ohtani was an innocent victim of Mizuhara's deception, and that there was no evidence to suggest the Dodgers star was aware of or involved in illegal gambling.
Major League Baseball's gambling policy bars "any player, umpire, or club or league official or employee" from betting on baseball or making illegal bets on any other sport.
Players found guilty of betting on a game they were involved in are subject to life bans, with one-year suspensions if they are found to have gambled on games they are not directly involved in.
Ohtani is a rarity in baseball in that he combines elite-level pitching and hitting ability, making him a generational talent who has been portrayed as a modern-day version of Babe Ruth.
Those skills and his clean-cut image have made him the global face of baseball.
B.Shevchenko--BTB