Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara has been sentenced to four years and nine months in prison after stealing nearly $17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers star to pay off gambling debts.
Mizuhara was sentenced on Thursday in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
His attorney had asked for an 18-month sentence after the interpreter pleaded guilty to federal bank and tax fraud charges in June 2024.
Instead, Judge John Holcomb handed him the 57 months that had been requested by the prosecution, as well as three years of parole. His prison sentence begins on March 24.
“Shockingly high” magnitude of theft
Holcomb said in court on Thursday that “the magnitude of the theft — $17 million — in my view, is shockingly high,” as quoted by the Associated Press.
Mizuhara must pay $16.98 million to Ohtani as restitution, as well as $1.15 million to the IRS in light of his fraudulent tax returns.
Acting United States Attorney Joseph T. McNally said in a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California that Mizuahara’s position of trust “gave him power, brought him fame, and paid him well.”
“Unfortunately, he exploited this dream job to steal millions of dollars from his friend and confidant. This is a sad tale of an American success story gone wrong – so wrong that Mr. Mizuhara will be spending years inside a prison cell.”
In court, Mizuhara apologized again to his longtime friend and said that “this mistake will impact me for the rest of my life.”
“I am truly, deeply sorry for what I have done,” Mizuhara said. “I am prepared to be punished for it.”
Ohtani not implicated
The U.S. Attorney’s Office release notes that beginning in September 2021, Mizuhara began placing bets with an illegal bookmaker and quickly fell into debt. For an estimated period of around two-and-a-half years from November 2021 to March 2024, he impersonated Ohtani and used his personal information to deceive bank employees into authorizing wire transfers.
Mizuhara was found to have bet on a range of sports but not on baseball. Prosecutors reiterated that Ohtani was not implicated in the scheme and has been cleared by the feds and MLB of any wrongdoing.
The case, one of the most high-profile betting scandals sports has known, stemmed from a broader investigation into illegal sports bookmaking organizations in Southern California.
Others have been charged
Mizuhara’s alleged associates and co-conspirators in the scheme have also been charged.
The bookie at the center of the illegal gambling operation, Mathew Bowyer agreed in August to plead guilty to operating an unlawful gambling business, money laundering and subscribing to a false tax return.
