Ohtani’s Ex-Interpreter Ippei Mizuhara Enters Plea Ahead Of Sentencing

Ippei Mizuhara, Dodger star Shohei Ohtani’s former long-time interpreter, pleaded not guilty in court Tuesday on bank fraud and false tax return charges.

Mizuhara, 39, entered the plea as a formality to both counts, which carries a maximum 33-year sentence. However, after an agreement was announced by the U.S. District Attorney’s Office last week, he is expected to change his plea to guilty.

He will appear before Judge John W. Holcomb at the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Santa Ana on Tuesday, June 4.

Mizuhara is accused of illegally transferring nearly $17 million from Ohtani’s bank account to pay off his “substantial gambling debts” — without Ohtani’s knowledge or permission.

“Our joint investigation with Homeland Security Investigations clearly showed Mr. Mizuhara not only stole from Mr. Ohtani, but also that he lied to the IRS about his income,” Tyler Hatcher, special agent in charge for IRS Criminal Investigation’s Los Angeles field office, said in a statement. “Mr. Mizuhara exploited his relationship with Mr. Ohtani to bankroll his own irresponsibility.”

About the arraignment

Mizuhara appeared before Magistrate Judge Jean P. Rosenbluth in a downtown L.A. federal courthouse late Tuesday morning. 

Members of the media weren’t allowed inside the courtroom and were seated in an audio-only overflow room.

As reported by the Associated Press, Mizuhara spoke only to answer the judge’s questions. Michael G. Freedman, his defense attorney, confirmed that Mizuhara plans to plead guilty at a later date.

Mizuhara’s total bets were in the hundreds of millions of dollars, but he had a net loss of nearly $41 million. He did not bet on baseball, the AP reported.

He’s been released on an unsecured $25,000 bond and must comply with the bond conditions, which includes undergoing gambling addiction treatment.

About the plea agreement

Mizuhara has agreed to appear for all court dates, pay all criminal debts ordered in full and on time, and forfeit any funds or property acquired through the illegal activities, including sports memorabilia, according to the plea agreement.

He is also admitting to receiving more than $4 million of unreported income and claiming illegal tax deductions.

Mizuhara regularly translated between Ohtani and his sports agents and financial advisors before the interpreter started to place bets with an illegal bookmaker in September 2021, according to the U.S. District Attorney’s Office.

He quickly became unable to pay off his gambling debts and allegedly changed the contact information on Ohtani’s account so bank employees would instead call Mizuhara to verify wire transfers. Mizhuhara is accused of impersonating Ohtani to the bank dozens of times.

He also allegedly purchased about $325,000 in baseball cards from Ohtani’s bank account with the hope of reselling them later for his own personal profit.

Ongoing investigations

Authorities said there’s no evidence Ohtani was involved in, or aware of, Mizuhara’s gambling and that the Dodgers double threat is cooperating with investigators, as reported by AP.

Major League Baseball launched its own investigation into Ohtani on March 22 after news of the scandal broke while the Dodgers were in South Korea for the season opener.

Last week during his annual meeting with Associated Press Sports Editors, Commissioner Rob Manfred said they’re looking to let the criminal process play out.

“Law enforcement officials have tools available at their disposal that are a lot more powerful that what we have,” Manfred said, as reported by USA Today.

Under MLB Rule 21, any player or employee who bets on baseball will be suspended for one year. But if a player or employee bets on a game where they had a “duty to perform,” they’ll be suspended permanently.

Manfred can also penalize those who’ve placed bets with illegal bookmakers.