Ohtani interpreter pleads guilty to $17 million fraud: US Justice Dept

Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter has agreed to plead guilty to illegally transferring nearly $17 million from the baseball star’s bank account to pay off gambling debts, the U.S. Department of Justice said Wednesday.

Ippei Mizuhara, 39, will plead guilty to one count of bank fraud — punishable by up to 30 years in prison — and one count of filing a false tax return, which carries a maximum penalty of three years, the Justice Department said.

Federal prosecutors have said Mizuhara, Ohtani’s longtime friend and confidant, looted millions from the Los Angeles Dodgers’ bank account to fund an “insatiable appetite” for gambling.

Mizuhara is expected to formally enter his guilty plea in the coming weeks, with arraignment set for May 14 in Los Angeles.

“The magnitude of this defendant’s deception and theft is enormous,” United States Attorney Martin Estrada said in a statement Wednesday.

“He abused his position of trust to take advantage of Mr. Ohtani and fuel a dangerous gambling habit,” Estrada added.

Japanese sensation Ohtani, currently the biggest star in baseball, joined the Dodgers last December in a record $700 million contract – the richest contract in North American sports history.

Tyler Hatcher, special agent in charge of the Internal Revenue Service’s criminal investigation unit, said the investigation found that Mizuhara “had not only stolen from Mr. Ohtani, but also that he had lied to the IRS about his income.”

“Mr Mizuhara has exploited his relationship with Mr Ohtani to finance his own irresponsibility,” Hatcher said in a statement.

Mizuhara’s admission of guilt was expected.

After an initial court appearance last month, his attorney said he wanted to apologize to “Ohtani, the Dodgers and Major League Baseball” for his actions and sought a quick resolution so he can “take responsibility.”

The story continues

– Huge losses –

The revelations surrounding Mizuhara surfaced as the new baseball season kicked off in March, shocking the sports world and potentially embroiling Ohtani in a scandal.

Prosecutors have repeatedly emphasized that Ohtani was an innocent victim of Mizuhara’s deception, and that there was no evidence the Dodgers star knew about or was involved in illegal gambling.

A criminal complaint unsealed by prosecutors last month detailed a staggering amount of bets placed by Mizuhara, who exploited the language barrier to keep Ohtani, his financial advisers and management team in the dark about his crimes.

The complaint revealed that between December 2021 and January 2024, Mizuhara placed approximately 19,000 bets ranging in value from $10 to $160,000, with an average of approximately $12,800 per bet.

During that period, Mizuhara had winning bets worth $142.3 million, and losing bets worth $182.9 million – leaving him with a loss of approximately $40.7 million.

The complaint detailed that contact information on Ohtani’s bank account was later changed to link it to Mizuhara’s phone number and to an anonymous email address associated with Mizuhara.

Mizuhara also allegedly falsely identified himself as Ohtani to trick bank employees into approving wire transfers.

Bank recordings of phone calls show Mizuhara posing as Ohtani while trying to make bank transfers.

Major League Baseball’s gambling policy prohibits “any player, umpire, club, league official or employee” from betting on baseball or making illegal bets on any other sport.

Players found guilty of betting on a game in which they were involved will be subject to a lifetime ban, with a one-year ban if they are found to have gambled on games in which they were not directly involved.

Ohtani is a rarity in baseball because he combines elite-level pitching and hitting skills, making him a generational talent who has been portrayed as a modern-day version of Babe Ruth.

These skills and his clean-cut image have made him the global face of baseball.

Ohtani currently leads the baseball rankings, with an MLB-leading .358 average and an MLB-best 11 home runs.

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