The man guilty of stealing nearly $17 million from Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani to pay off gambling debts has begun his prison sentence.
Key Takeaways
- Ippei Mizuhara has begun a 57-month prison sentence in a federal prison in Pennsylvania
- Mizzuhara is also expected to be deported to Japan at some point
- The former Ohtani interpreter was trying to pay off $40 million owed to an illegal bookmaker
Ippei Mizuhara, who served as Ohtani’s interpreter, was ordered to surrender to authorities by Monday and is currently in custody at the low-security Federal Correctional Institution Allenwood-Low in Pennsylvania, a Federal Bureau of Prisons spokesperson told ESPN.
Mizuhara was sentenced in February to serve 57 months in a federal prison after he pleaded guilty to bank fraud and tax fraud in June 2024.
Mizuhara was originally supposed to report to prison in March, but a federal judge delayed the date for unknown and sealed reasons. Mizuhara grew up in the U.S. and graduated from high school in California, but his lawyer has previously stated to ESPN that the Japanese citizen is expected to be deported.
Coming to light
MLB launched an investigation in March 2024 after federal agents had previously discovered a link between Ohtani and Bowyer when the bookie’s home was raided. Ohtani was found to have no involvement in any gambling activity and was kept in the dark by Mizuhara.
The former interpreter became a close friend of Ohtani’s in Japan and gained access to Ohtani’s bank account when the two worked together in the U.S. Mizuhara falsely claimed to be the MLB player on calls to the bank to transfer funds.
He took $500,000 from Ohtani’s account every two weeks to help pay off $40 million owed to bookie Matthew Bowyer, who is awaiting sentencing for running an illegal gambling operation. Mizuhara placed over 19,000 bets with Bowyer over two years and had accounts with several legal U.S. sportsbooks.
Falling into debt
The U.S. Department of Justice said in April 2024 that Mizuhara wagered nearly $183 million and lost over $142.2 million for a net loss of $40.7 million. When requesting an 18-month sentence, Mizuhara stated he had a gambling problem, which federal prosecutors disputed.
Mizuhara is also required to pay back millions to Ohtani and the IRS.
“As I noted in my letter, I want to say I’m truly sorry to Mr. Ohtani for what I have done,” Mizuhara said earlier this year. “This mistake will impact me for the rest of my life, and I am prepared to accept the consequences.”
