The man who stole nearly $17 million from Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani to pay off massive gambling debts was sentenced to 57 months in prison on Thursday.
Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s former interpreter who gained access to his bank account and the trust of his friend, had asked for an 18-month sentence after pleading guilty to bank and tax fraud charges in June 2024.
The judge, however, ruled in favor of the prosecution, which requested the same four years and nine months that Mizuhara was given because the defendant claimed he had a “gambling addiction” that the feds said they found no evidence of prior to sentencing.
“As I noted in my letter I want to say I’m truly sorry to Mr. Ohtani for what I have done,” Mizuhara said Thursday in court. “This mistake will impact me for the rest of my life and I am prepared to accept the consequences.”
Years of theft
Mizuhara’s prison sentence begins on March 24, and he’s required to pay back the millions he took from Ohtani.
“His years-long theft of funds from Mr. Ohtani and the myriad lies he told to Mr. Ohtani’s agents and financial advisors to cover up his theft represent a calculated betrayal of the very person he was hired to help,” prosecutors said in court papers.
Ohtani’s interpreter sent millions to bookmaker Mathew Bowyer, who’s facing sentencing in April for running an illegal gambling operation and tax fraud charges. Bowyer told The New York Post this week that after he began taking bets from Mizhuara, it was “very obvious” the interpreter was taking Ohtani’s money without permission.
“He never acted as if the dollar amounts impacted him for one second,” Bowyer said in the interview. “He was so polite and so respectful.”
Massive debt
Mizuhara did use legal sports betting operators to place wagers, but he fell into heavy debt when he started placing bets through Bowyer in 2021. Mizuhara racked up a net loss of $41 million.
He sent $500,000 payments to Bowyer every two weeks by taking the money from Ohtani’s account. Mizuhara gave banks his number and even impersonated Ohtani to get transactions approved.
Ohtani was not implicated in the scheme and cleared by the feds and MLB of any wrongdoing.
