Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter for MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani, has been charged with bank fraud for allegedly stealing more than $16 million from Ohtani to pay off his own gambling debts, the Department of Justice announced Thursday.
Mizuhara, 39, allegedly stole the funds to pay debts to an illegal bookmaker and "feed his insatiable appetite for illegal sports gambling," said United States attorney Martin Estrada, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The felony offense against the Japanese-language translator carries a maximum 30-year sentence.
Mizuhara wired more than $16 million in unauthorized transfers during a period from November 2021 to January of this year, according to an affidavit. It's alleged the transfers were made from an MLB player's bank account via devices and IP addresses tied to Mizuhara.
Mizuhara assisted Ohtani in opening a bank account in Arizona in 2018 and translated for Ohtani when setting up account details. Ohtani made his MLB debut in 2018 with the Los Angeles Angels.
Ohtani 'considered a victim' by DOJ
Mizuhara began gambling with an illegal sportsbook in September 2021 and began losing large sums of money, according to the affidavit. The contact information on Ohtani's bank account was then allegedly updated to link to Mizuhara's email and phone number. He's also alleged to have identified as Ohtani to trick bank employees into authorizing the wire transfers.
It's alleged Mizuhara was using the account as recently as last month to purchase baseball cards and have them mailed to an alias.
Ohtani said in a public statement two weeks ago that Mizuhara had stolen the funds from his account without his knowledge and that he "never bet on baseball or any other sports" or "asked somebody to do it" on his behalf.
"Mr. Ohtani is considered a victim in this case," Estrada said.
Ohtani was interviewed by law enforcement last week and denied authorizing the wire transfers.
Mizuhara came under federal investigation after he addressed the Dodgers following a March 20 game in South Korea, informing them of the impending news reports. He was fired by the Dodgers shortly after. Ohtani said he had no prior knowledge of Mizuhara's gambling and had his lawyers alert federal authorities and Major League Baseball.
A seeming confession from Ippei Mizuhara, via text to a bookmaker, on the day @TishaESPN's story ran. pic.twitter.com/YvX5jCk893
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) April 11, 2024
The scandal came to light after an offseason in which Ohtani became the highest-paid athlete in North American sports history by signing a 10-year, $700-million deal with the Dodgers.
