Ippei Mizuhara, a former interpreter for Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers, was found guilty of bank and tax fraud and given a sentence of over five years in jail. Four years and nine months was the punishment imposed by a federal court in Santa Ana, California. In addition to the jail sentence, Mizuhara must pay $18 million in reparations, of which Ohtani will receive $17 million.
When Mizuhara opened a bank account for Ohtani in 2018, he started his fraud plan. Federal prosecutors claim that Mizuhara mistreated the two-way baseball star in both his personal and professional relationships. He stole millions of dollars from Ohtani’s account, occasionally posing as the player to gain access to the money. Mizuhara deposited the money into his personal account and used it to settle gambling debts.
Even though Mizuhara won more than $142 million, his intensive gambling activities resulted in losses of $183 million. Interestingly, there were no baseball-related wagers made.
In May, Mizuhara pled guilty to both bank and tax fraud. At his sentencing, he expressed deep remorse for his actions. “I am truly, deeply sorry for what I have done,” Mizuhara said. “I am prepared to be punished for it.” As part of his sentence, Mizuhara will also serve three years of supervised release. He must report to authorities by March 24.