Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter who was found guilty of embezzling almost $17 million from Shohei Ohtani, has been sentenced to 57 months in prison. The sentencing was announced by The Athletic’s Sam Blum on Thursday.
Mizuhara’s prison term will commence on March 24, followed by three years of supervised release. Additionally, he has been ordered to repay nearly $17 million to Ohtani.
After pleading guilty to bank fraud and tax fraud charges, Mizuhara faced a maximum sentence of 33 years in prison. Prosecutors pushed for a 57-month sentence, which was granted, while the defense requested 18 months.
According to prosecutors, Mizuhara engaged in 19,000 illegal bets with a bookie between 2021 and 2024, resulting in a net loss of $40.6 million. As Ohtani’s interpreter, de facto manager, and friend since the baseball star’s arrival in the U.S. in 2018, Mizuhara covered his losses by surreptitiously withdrawing funds from Ohtani’s MLB salary account. The scheme unraveled after the Dodgers’ season opener last year.
Mizuhara went to great lengths to maintain his access to Ohtani and his finances, even going as far as impersonating Ohtani to facilitate a six-figure wire transfer to his bookie. The interpreter’s influence extended to the point where Ohtani’s agent, Nez Balelo, communicated with his client exclusively through Mizuhara, granting him significant control over Ohtani’s monetary affairs.
Upon being apprehended, Mizuhara attributed his actions to a gambling addiction, a claim disputed by prosecutors due to the absence of any gambling history prior to his theft from Ohtani.
Timeline: How Ippei Mizuhara went from Shohei Ohtani’s side to prison
Up until the start of the 2024 MLB season, Mizuhara had been a constant presence by Ohtani’s side throughout his MLB career. He joined forces with the two-way star when Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Angels in 2017 and was set to receive a $500,000 salary following Ohtani’s $700 million contract with the Dodgers.
They collaborated during one game of the Dodgers’ season-opening series in South Korea, with their wives watching from the stands.
Subsequent events unfolded as follows:
March 19, 2024: ESPN reveals that federal authorities have discovered Ohtani’s name on wire transfers to Mizuhara’s bookie. Mizuhara concocts a tale about Ohtani agreeing to cover his gambling losses, leading to the Dodgers making him available for an interview for a forthcoming story.
March 20: Mizuhara addresses the Dodgers’ clubhouse in English and presents his false narrative about Ohtani covering his losses. Ohtani, who has a basic understanding of English, realizes the deception.
Later on March 20: Ohtani’s team denounces Mizuhara’s version of events, and the Dodgers promptly terminate his employment.
March 22: MLB launches an investigation into Mizuhara.
March 25: Law enforcement initiates a probe into Mizuhara.
April 11: Mizuhara is officially charged with bank fraud, and a criminal complaint is released outlining the allegations against him. The complaint identifies Ohtani as a victim, with no mention of gambling in 9,700 pages of text messages.
April 12: Mizuhara surrenders himself, and his lawyer indicates his intention to negotiate a plea agreement.
May 8: Mizuhara strikes a deal with prosecutors to plead guilty.
June 4: Mizuhara formally enters a guilty plea.
Will the Shohei Ohtani conspiracy theories ever end?
The peculiar circumstances surrounding Mizuhara’s actions and the tumultuous unveiling of the story last spring spawned various conspiracy theories suggesting that Ohtani was the one involved in gambling, with Mizuhara being the scapegoat.
While such theories may have been entertaining for some, they have progressively weakened with each new revelation. To believe that Ohtani had any role in the illicit activities requires distrusting MLB, the IRS, the Department of Justice, and an illegal bookie (who is facing his own legal troubles), all collaborating to shield a foreign national simply to benefit a specific baseball team and the league financially. The theory also hinges on the improbable notion that Ohtani recklessly settled the bookie’s debts using his personal account, then orchestrated an exceedingly intricate scheme to shift blame onto his close friend.
Although it may be hard to fathom how an interpreter could exploit MLB’s most prominent player and pilfer millions right under his nose, that scenario is far more plausible than the alternative.
Despite persistent conspiracy theories circulating in online discussions, Ohtani remained unfazed on the field. In his inaugural season with the Dodgers, he secured his third MVP award, clinched his first World Series ring, and accomplished the first 50-home-run, 50-stolen-base season in MLB history.