Ippei Mizuhara, former Shohei Ohtani interpreter, pleads guilty in sports betting case

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The former interpreter of the 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 the Japanese baseball player to pay off debts, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.

The scandal surrounding Ippei Mizuhara It shocked baseball fans from the United States to Japan when the news broke in March.

Mizuhara will plead guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of subscribing to 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 sentence of up to three years in federal prison.

The plea agreement says Mizuhara must pay Ohtani restitution that could total nearly $17 million, as well as more than $1 million to the IRS. Those amounts could change before sentencing.

Mizuhara will plead guilty in the coming weeks and will be arraigned on May 14, prosecutors said.

“The scope of this defendant’s deception and theft is enormous,” U.S. 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 player’s account two way 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 around $183 million, a net loss of nearly $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 changed the associated security protocols, email, and phone number so that calls went directly to him, not Ohtani, when the bank was attempting to verify wire transfers. Mizuhara impersonated Ohtani before 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 There is no evidence that Ohtani was involved in or aware of Mizuhara’s game, and the player is cooperating with researchersauthorities said.

Los Angeles Times and ESPN broke the news of the prosecution at the end of March, which led the Dodgers to fire the performer and MLB will open its own investigation.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he had no comment on the plea deal Wednesday, adding, “I just hope there’s more closure.”

MLB rules ban players and team employees to bet on baseball, even legally. The MLB also prohibits betting on other sports with illegal or foreign bookmakers.

Mizuhara has been free on a $25,000 unsecured bond, known colloquially as a signature bond, meaning he did not have to post any cash or collateral to be released. If he violates bail conditions, which include a requirement to undergo treatment for gambling addiction, he will be forced to pay $25,000.

Ohtani has tried to focus on the field while the case moves through the courts. Hours after his former interpreter first appeared in court in April, he hit her Home run 175 in the MLBtying Hideki Matsui for the most by a Japanese-born player, during the Dodgers’ 8-7 loss to the San Diego Padres in 11 innings.