LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 14: Shohei Ohtani speaks with his interpreter Ippei Mizuhara prior to being introduced by the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on December 14, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
OAN’s Abril Elfi
4:53 PM – Wednesday, May 8, 2024
Ippei Mizuhara, Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter, has reportedly agreed to plead guilty to bank fraud charges. He now faces up to 33 years in prison.
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According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Mizuhara agreed to plead guilty to stealing nearly $7 million from Ohtani in order to “cover gambling debts.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California stated that Mizuhara, 39, has consented to enter a guilty plea to one count of bank fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, and one count of subscribing to a false tax return, which carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison.
“The extent of this defendant’s deception and theft is massive,” 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. My office is committed to vindicating victims throughout our community and ensuring that wrongdoers face justice.”
The plea agreement stated that the 39-year-old interpreter previously helped the baseball star set up a bank account in Phoenix in 2018, and during which, he “interpreted the login information” for Ohtani’s account.
Later in September of 2021, Mizuhara then began placing sports bets with an illegal bookmaker that would eventually lead him into racking up large amounts of debt.
“Unable to pay his gambling debts, Mizuhara orchestrated a scheme to deceive and cheat the bank to fraudulently obtain money from the account,” the DOJ said in a release.
Mizuhara then purportedly accessed the account and updated the security information, so that bank employees would contact him rather than Ohtani if wire transfers needed further confirmation from the account holder. The plea also stated that he impersonated Ohtani in his phone calls to the bank.
Mizuhara transferred approximately $7 million from the account to associates of the bookmaker in more than 40 wires from November 2021 to March 2024 without Ohtani’s knowledge.
The interpreter also admitted to falsely claiming that his total taxable income for 2022 was $136,865, when, in fact, he failed to report the additional $4.1 million in income.
“The source of the unreported income was from his scheme to defraud the bank,” the DOJ said, noting that he owes approximately $1,149,400 in additional taxes for the tax year 2022, plus additional interest and penalties.
Estrada previously stressed that Ohtani is a “victim in the case” and has cooperated “fully and completely” in the investigation.
On March 20th, following the emergence of the gambling controversy, the Dodgers team announced that they had fired the Japanese interpreter. However, they did not give a detailed explanation as to why Mizuhara was let go.
Last month, Mizuhara was charged, and as per the statement provided by his lawyer, Michael Freedman, to ABC News after Mizuhara’s first appearance in federal court on April 12th, he is “continuing to cooperate with the legal process and is hopeful that he can reach an agreement with the government to resolve this case as quickly as possible so that he can take responsibility.”
“He wishes to apologize to Mr. Ohtani, the Dodgers, Major League Baseball, and his family,” the statement continued. “As noted in court, he is eager to seek treatment for his gambling.”
On March 25th, Ohtani addressed the scandal during a press conference and said he was “very saddened and shocked that someone who [he] trusted had done this.”
According to the DOJ, Mizuhara is expected to enter a plea in the upcoming weeks, and his arraignment is set for May 14th.
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