Topline
Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, has agreed to plead guilty to stealing nearly $17 million from Ohtani’s bank account to pay off his own gambling debts.
Mizuhara was fired from the Dodgers in March. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
Key Facts
Mizuhara, 39, agreed to one count of bank fraud and one count of subscribing to a false tax return, which together hold a maximum sentence of 33 years in federal prison.
Mizuhara fraudulently secured $16.9 million from Ohtani’s account, according to the plea agreement, which noted the translator admitted to falsely reporting his total taxable income to the Internal Revenue Service in 2022.
Mizuhara admitted receiving $4.1 million of unreported income in 2022, all of which was gathered from Ohtani’s account.
The translator now owes approximately $1.1 million in taxes for 2022—before interest and penalties.
Prosecutors said Mizuhara began stealing from Ohtani after he started placing bets with an illegal bookmaker on or about Sept. 2021, and quickly became indebted to them.
Mizuhara made 36 wire transfers to bank accounts of associates of the bookmaker totaling $15 million between Feb. 2022 and Oct. 2023, in addition to three wires totaling $1.25 million from late last year to this January, according to the plea agreement.
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What To Watch For
Mizuhara’s arraignment is scheduled for May 14 in Los Angeles.
Big Number
$700 million. That’s how much Ohtani’s contract with the Dodgers is worth, meaning the star player secured the largest contract by total value in U.S. sports teams history.
Key Background
Mizuhara initially claimed Ohtani agreed to pay off his gambling debts and transferred the money himself, later recanting the statement made to ESPN the following day and telling a reporter Ohtani was unaware of the payments or gambling debts. Representatives for Ohtani later accused Mizuhara of stealing the player’s money. Mizuhara was fired by the Dodgers and charged with bank fraud. Ohtani has said he was “beyond shocked” by the situation and that he has never made sports bets or "willfully" sent money to a bookmaker.
Further Reading
With His $700 Million Deal, Shohei Ohtani Is Set To Become MLB’s All-Time Earnings Leader (Forbes)
Ippei Mizuhara wired Shohei Ohtani's money to 'Real Housewives' star (ESPN)
