- Mizuhara will also plead guilty to one count of subscribing to a false tax return.
- His winning bets amounted to about $142 million, while his losing bets were around $183 million.
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Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, has chosen to plead guilty to bank fraud after allegedly stealing $17 million from the baseball star, the Central District of California District Attorney’s Office reported. Announced On Wednesday.
The bank fraud charge carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. Mizuhara will also plead guilty to one count of subscribing to a false tax return, which carries a sentence of up to three years.
He is expected to enter a guilty plea “in the coming weeks,” and his arraignment is scheduled for May 14.
The scandal surrounding Mizuhara shocked baseball fans from the United States to Japan when the news broke in March. Mizuhara took advantage of his personal and professional relationship with Ohtani to loot millions from the player’s account over the years, sometimes posing as Ohtani to bankers, prosecutors said.
Mizuhara’s winning bets totaled more than $142 million, which he deposited into his own bank account and not Ohtani’s. But his losing bets were around $183 million, a net loss of nearly $41 million. He didn’t bet on baseball.
Ippei Mizuhara (left) has agreed to plead guilty to federal criminal charges for illegally transferring $17 million from Shohei Ohtani’s bank account without the player’s knowledge or permission.
Mizuhara faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. He has been released on $25,000 bail.
Mizuhara helped Ohtani open a bank account in 2018 and began stealing money from that account in 2021, according to the plea agreement. At one point, Mizuhara uploaded the associated security protocols, email, and phone number so that calls would go directly to him, not Ohtani, when the back attempted to verify bank transfers.
There was no evidence that Ohtani was involved in or aware of Mizuhara’s gambling, and the player is cooperating with investigators, authorities said.
After news of the accusation broke in late March, the Dodgers moved to fire the performer, while MLB opened its own investigation.
MLB rules prohibit players and team employees from betting on baseball, even legally. The MLB also prohibits betting on other sports with illegal or foreign bookmakers.
Ohtani stayed focused on the field as the Mizuhara case continued, as he scored his 17th MLB run against the Padres last month, tying Hideki Matsui for the most home runs by a Japanese-born player.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he had no comment on the plea deal Wednesday, adding, “I just hope there’s more closure.”
Mizuhara has been free on a $25,000 unsecured bond, known colloquially as a signature bond, meaning he did not have to post any cash or collateral to be released.
If he violates bail conditions, which include a requirement to undergo treatment for gambling addiction, he will be forced to pay $25,000.
Ohtani has tried to focus on the field while the case moves through the courts. Hours after his former interpreter made his first court appearance in April, he hit his 175th MLB home run, tying Hideki Matsui for the most by a Japanese-born player, during the Dodgers’ 8-7 loss. against the San Diego Padres in the 11th inning.
