Ippei Mizuhara Pleads Guilty To Bank Fraud, $17M Theft From Shohei Ohtani
Well, if there were any remaining doubts about Shohei Ohtani's innocence in the sports betting scandal that rocked the baseball world in March, those can be safely put to bed.
Ohtani's former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, has "agreed to plead guilty to federal criminal charges for illegally transferring almost $17 million from a Major League Baseball (MLB) player’s bank account – without the player’s knowledge or permission – to pay off his own substantial gambling debts incurred with an illegal bookmaking operation and for signing a false tax return" according to a press release from the Justice Department announced Wednesday.
Mizuhara, 39, pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud, with a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison, and one count of "subscribing to a false tax return," which carries a maximum sentence of up to three years.
The statement quoted United States Attorney Martin Estrada explaining that the evidence showed that Mizuhara "stole" from Mr. Ohtani.
"The extent of this defendant’s deception and theft is massive," Estrada said. "He took advantage of his position of trust to take advantage of Mr. Ohtani and fuel a dangerous gambling habit."
"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," said Special Agent in Charge Tyler Hatcher. "Mr. Mizuhara exploited his relationship with Mr. Ohtani to bankroll his own irresponsibility."
LOS ANGELES - Shohei Ohtani answers questions and Ippei Mizuhara translates during the Shohei Ohtani Los Angeles Dodgers Press Conference at Dodger Stadium on Thursday, December 14, 2023. (Photo by Rob Leiter/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Shohei Ohtani Interpreter Admits Guilt In Massive Theft
The Justice Department press release revealed that Ohtani paid Mizuhara separately, on top of his salary from the Los Angeles Angels. Many of the questions around the explanation centered around how Mizuhara was able to secure the gambling "marker" from the bookie with his interpreter salary. But according to the release, "Ohtani paid him separately for the additional work of driving him to meetings and interpreting for non-baseball-related activities."
As to how the interpreter gained access to Ohtani's bank account, Mizuhara interpreted for Ohtani when opening an account in 2018, particularly when a "bank employee provided Ohtani the login information for this bank account."
He also called the bank to impersonate Ohtani 24 different times in order to have employees authorize wire transfers from the 29-year-old superstar's account.
The release provided one previously unreported detail of just how thorough Mizuhara was in siphoning money off from his boss.
"In addition, in September 2023, Mizuhara needed $60,000 worth of dental work and Ohtani agreed to pay for it via a check drawn on a business account at a different bank," it explains. "However, Mizuhara provided his dentist Ohtani’s debit card number for the bank account Ohtani had opened in Phoenix, charged $60,000 to that account, then deposited the $60,000 check into Mizuhara’s personal bank account."
The scale of the theft is staggering; the guilty plea includes the charge of filing a false tax return, which they explain showed he had an unreported additional income of $4.1 million in 2022. That income came as a result of his "scheme to defraud the bank."
Remaining Ohtani Questions Answered
Virtually all of the doubts around Ohtani's version of events have been answered in the ensuing release of information from the Justice Department and other news stories. Mizuhara had access to a specific bank account, had the login information, changed the password and notification settings to ensure Ohtani wasn't aware of transactions, and impersonated him vocally to authorize wire transfers with the bank.
READ: Multiple MLB Interpreters Back Up Possible Shohei Ohtani Explanation
He had an additional income from salary earned as a sort of personal assistant to Ohtani and siphoned off money at every opportunity over the past two and a half years. Even the desperate "Mizuhara is the fall guy" deflections are no longer valid, considering he faces decades of prison time.
Yet through all this off-field drama, Ohtani has managed to get even better on the field…when he was already the best player in the sport.
READ: Somehow The Best Player In Baseball Has Gotten Even Better
Commissioner Rob Manfred had essentially told the media they intended to wait to see what happened with the government's investigation before taking action. And with the guilty plea confirming that Ohtani is the victim he said he was, the league's inquiry should be effectively complete.