Federal authorities have concluded that Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani was the victim of fraud in regards to their investigation into his ex-interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, who was previously accused of stealing $4.5 million from the reigning American League MVP’s bank account to cover gambling debts owed to an illegal bookmaking operation, per TMZ Sports.

And now Mizuhara is reportedly in negotiations to plead guilty to federal crimes connected to the alleged theft, according to Tim Arango and Michael S. Schmidt of the New York Times.

Ohtani previously stated publicly that he has never bet on baseball or any other sports. He also said that his former interpreter stole money from him and told lies.

Per multiple reports, federal investigations are pointing toward Ohtani telling the complete truth, with the caveat that the allegations may have even been worse than reported.

The Times has reported via its sources that “prosecutors have uncovered evidence that Mizuhara may have stolen more money from Ohtani than the $4.5 million he was initially accused of pilfering.”

Furthermore, the Times added that investigators believe they have evidence Mizuhara changed Ohtani’s bank account settings so he couldn’t get alerts following transactions.

TMZ Sports reported that federal authorities “concluded Mizuhara was lying — that Ohtani was completely in the dark over the gambling debt, and Mizuhara embezzled from one of Ohtani’s accounts without the pitcher’s knowledge.”

The outlet added Ohtani “was not involved in any wrongdoing and has never had any association with gambling or bookmaking.”

This article will be updated soon to provide more information and analysis.