Baseball star Ohtani’s ex-interpreter to appear in court for sentencing in betting case
The former interpreter for Japanese baseball star Shohei Ohtani is expected to be sentenced Thursday for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly $17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s bank account.
Federal prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence of four years and nine months for Ippei Mizuhara, who was supposed to bridge the gap between Ohtani and his English-speaking teammates and fans as the duo traveled from Southern California to ballparks across the U.S. Instead, Mizuhara exploited the Japanese-English language barrier to isolate Ohtani and profit from his proximity to the two-way player ‘s power.
Mizuhara is scheduled to appear in federal court in the Orange County city of Santa Ana. He pleaded guilty last year to bank and tax fraud after he was accused of stealing money to cover his growing gambling bets and debts with an illegal bookmaker, in addition to $325,000 worth of baseball cards and his own dental bills.
The case affected arguably the world’s most famous baseball player — who previously pitched for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim — and stoked an international media frenzy. It stemmed from a broader probe into illegal sports bookmaking organizations in Southern California and the laundering of proceeds through casinos in Las Vegas that has netted a dozen defendants.
“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 wrote in court papers.
Baseball star Ohtani’s ex-interpreter to appear in court for sentencing in betting case
Federal prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence of four years and nine months for Ippei Mizuhara, who was supposed to bridge the gap between Ohtani and his English-speaking teammates and fans as the duo traveled from Southern California to ballparks across the U.S. Instead, Mizuhara exploited the Japanese-English language barrier to isolate Ohtani and profit from his proximity to the two-way player ‘s power.
Mizuhara is scheduled to appear in federal court in the Orange County city of Santa Ana. He pleaded guilty last year to bank and tax fraud after he was accused of stealing money to cover his growing gambling bets and debts with an illegal bookmaker, in addition to $325,000 worth of baseball cards and his own dental bills.
The case affected arguably the world’s most famous baseball player — who previously pitched for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim — and stoked an international media frenzy. It stemmed from a broader probe into illegal sports bookmaking organizations in Southern California and the laundering of proceeds through casinos in Las Vegas that has netted a dozen defendants.
“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 wrote in court papers.
They want Mizuhara to pay $17 million in restitution to Ohtani and $1 million to the Internal Revenue Service.
In a letter to the court, Mizuhara described his financial strain and addiction to gambling, which he had hoped would alleviate his money problems. He also professed his admiration of Ohtani, and his remorse.
“I am asking for a little mercy from the court concerning my sentence you will hand down,” Mizuhara wrote. “I truly admire Shohei as a baseball player and a human being and I was committed to devote my life so Shohei can be the best version of himself on the field. I want to say I am truly sorry for violating his trust in me.”
