Ippei Mizuhara, former Shohei Ohtani interpreter, will plead guilty in sports betting case
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has agreed to plead guilty to bank and tax fraud in a sports betting case in which prosecutors allege he stole nearly $17 million from Japanese baseball player to pay off debts. federal prosecutors said Wednesday.
The scandal surrounding Ippei Mizuhara shocked baseball fans from the US to Japan when the news broke in March.
Mizuhara will plead guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of filing a false tax return, the U.S. Department of Justice announced. The bank fraud charge carries a maximum of 30 years in federal prison, and the false tax return charge carries a penalty of up to three years in federal prison.
The plea agreement says Mizuhara will be required to pay restitution to Ohtani that could total nearly $17 million, as well as more than $1 million to the IRS. These values may change before sentencing.
Mizuhara will plead guilty in the coming weeks and is expected to be arraigned on May 14, prosecutors said.
“The extent of this defendant’s deception and theft is enormous,” United States Attorney Martin Estrada said in a statement. “He took advantage of his position of trust to take advantage of Mr. Ohtani and fuel a dangerous gambling habit.”
Mizuhara exploited his personal and professional relationship with Ohtani to loot millions from the two-way player’s account for years, sometimes posing as Ohtani to bankers, prosecutors said. Mizuhara’s winning bets totaled more than $142 million, which he deposited into his own bank account and not Ohtani’s. But his losing bets were about $183 million, a net loss of almost $41 million. He didn’t bet on baseball.
Mizuhara helped Ohtani open a bank account in 2018 and began stealing money from that account in 2021, according to the plea agreement. At one point, Mizuhara charged the security protocols, email and phone number associated with him so that calls would go directly to him, and not Ohtani, when the back attempted to verify wire transfers. Mizuhara impersonated Ohtani at the bank about 24 times, according to the agreement.
Mizuhara also admitted to falsifying his 2022 tax returns by underreporting his income by more than $4 million.
Mizuhara’s attorney, Michael G. Freedman, had no comment on the settlement Wednesday.
There was no evidence that Ohtani was involved in or had knowledge of Mizuhara’s gambling, and the player is cooperating with investigators, authorities said.
The Los Angeles Times and ESPN broke news of the accusation in late March, leading the Dodgers to fire the interpreter and MLB to open its own investigation.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he had no comment on the plea deal Wednesday, adding, “I just hope it’s more closure to the situation.”
MLB rules prohibit players and team employees from betting on baseball, even legally. MLB also prohibits betting on other sports with illegal or offshore bookmakers.
Mizuhara was released on a $25,000 unsecured bond, colloquially known as a signature bond, meaning he did not have to provide any money or collateral to be released. If he violates the conditions of the bond – which include a requirement to undergo treatment for gambling addiction – he will be jailed for $25,000.
Ohtani sought to focus on the field as the case progressed through the courts. Hours after his former performer first appeared in court in April, he hit his 175th MLB home run, tying Hideki Matsui for the most by a Japanese-born player, during the Dodgers’ 8-7 loss to the San Diego Padres in 11 innings.
