Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter agrees to plead guilty, faces up to 33 years
If Ippei Mizuhara was simply a fall guy, it was a very long fall.
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter agreed to plead guilty on Wednesday to bank fraud and signing a false tax return. He faces up to 33 years in prison.
He illegally transferred almost $17 million from Ohtani's to pay off his gambling debts.
“The extent of this defendant’s deception and theft is massive,” United States Attorney Martin Estrada said in a press release announcing the deal. “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 agreed that he stole $16.975 million from Ohtani, and that he filed a false tax return for 2022 showing $136,865 million in revenue when he in fact made more than $4.1 million. He owes $1.149 million in unpaid taxes to the federal government.
Initial reports of the situation sparked widespread speculation that Mizuhara was simply acting as an intermediary for Ohtani. An affidavit filed last month raised a few questions as to whether that rabbit hole had been fully and completely explored. If Mizuhara is in any way covering for Ohtani, however, Mizuhara will have a long time to think about it, while in prison.
While he likely won't get 33 years, he probably won't get 33 days, either. He'll eventually be sentenced on these charges.
The situation continues to be covered here because this new age of gambling, both legal and illegal (Mizuhara did it illegally in California), raises plenty of potential concerns for pro athletes and the leagues that govern them. Beyond the various things that players can do to create direct problems for themselves, they also can be victimized by those close to them — in a way that will ring a bell that becomes very hard to unring. Indeed, some will still believe that Ohtani knew or at least should have known what was happening.
While the language issues seemed to help Mizuhara lay the foundation for his scheme, others who are lured by piles of cash can come up with other plans based on access to it. All players need to be sure that their accounts are secure and cannot be compromised by someone who can start peeling off a few bucks (or a few million) here and there.
