Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, pleads not guilty to federal charges
Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter pleaded not guilty to federal charges of stealing nearly $17 million from the Dodger player's bank account to pay off illegal gambling debts on Tuesday.
The arraignment for Ippei Mizuhara, 39, in downtown Los Angeles was a procedural matter and he agreed to plead guilty at a later date.
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According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Mizuhara said he would plead guilty to one count each of bank fraud and subscribing to a false tax return. The bank fraud charge carries a possible prison term of up to 30 years, while the tax charge carries up to three years in federal prison.
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A date has not been set for him to enter his guilty plea. Although the arraignment took place in Los Angeles, the plea and sentencing will take place before U.S. District Judge John W. Holcomb in Santa Ana federal court.
"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."
Mizuhara was charged with bank fraud and surrendered to federal authorities on April 12. He was released on $25,000 bond. When the criminal case was announced, Estrada said Mizuhara had an "insatiable appetite" for illegal sports betting, which landed him millions of dollars in debt to a bookmaker and led him to transferring money out of Ohtani's bank account without his knowledge.
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Mizuhara worked as an interpreter for Ohtani since the slugger joined the Angels organization six years ago. During that time, he helped Ohtani set up a bank account in Arizona, which eventually became the source of wire transfers to the illegal gambling operation, Estrada said. Estrada stressed that Ohtani was a victim in the case and had no knowledge of Mizuhara's actions.
Mizuhara also allegedly lied to bank officials, and he was captured on tape-recorded calls impersonating Ohtani to "convince the bank to approve large wire transfers of large amounts of money to the bookmakers."
Records obtained from a source within the illegal gambling operation showed that between December 2021 and January 2024, about 19,000 wagers were attributed to Mizuhara, averaging roughly 25 per day and ranging in amounts from about $10 to $160,000, according to an affidavit filed in federal court by Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations special agent Chris Seymour.
During that period, the records showed Mizuhara had winning bets worth nearly $142.3 million, and losing bets of $182.9 million, leaving him with a roughly $40.7 million deficit.
The Dodgers fired Mizuhara earlier this year when news of the criminal investigation broke.
During a news conference, Ohtani denied any knowledge of Mizuhara's actions and denied that he was involved in any gambling activity.
According to various reports, wire transfers were made from Ohtani's bank account to an illegal bookmaking operation allegedly run by Orange County resident Mathew Bowyer, who is under federal investigation. Bowyer's San Juan Capistrano home was searched by federal agents last year.
Prosecutors said Mizuhara also took money from Ohtani's account to pay other expenses, including $60,000 in dental work and $325,000 worth of baseball cards.
The false tax return charge stems from 2022, when Mizuhara falsified his taxable income by claiming only $136,865, when in fact the figure was more than $4.1 million stemming from his bank fraud, prosecutors said. He admits in his plea agreement that he owes more than $1.1 million in taxes for 2022.
