Mizuhara Ippei, former interpreter for Dodgers player Ohtani Shohei, appeared in federal court in Los Angeles on May 14, and pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.

Mizuhara was expressionless and didn’t answer questions from the press as he entered the courthouse with his lawyer.

Mizuhara is accused of illegally transferring 17 million USD, or about 2.64 billion yen, from Otani's bank accounts without permission to pay off illegal gambling debts.

After responding "Yes" to several questions from the judge in court, Mizuhara finally pleaded "Not Guilty" to the charges.

During the proceedings, Mizuhara looked straight ahead and appeared calm, showing no signs of emotion, according to the courtroom sketch artist.

While he did plead not guilty, this was only a formality as Mizuhara has accepted a plea deal to plead guilty on two counts: one for bank fraud, and one for filing false tax returns.

He is expected to enter a guilty plea within the next few weeks and could face up to 33 years' imprisonment for the two charges.

However, according to a former federal prosecutor knowledgeable about similar cases, Mizuhara’s sentence is likely to be much less than the maximum.

In their opinion, it is likely to be something between four years and nine months to five years and 11 months, with the sentence probably handed down within a few months.