Shohei Ohtani's Former Interpreter Blames Working Conditions For Stealing Money

Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, was caught stealing money from his friend and employer in order to finance sports betting. He was caught so thoroughly that investigators recently released audio of him impersonating Ohtani on the phone with an unnamed bank, further decimating conspiracy theories that Ohtani himself had been controlling the bank account.

READ: Newly Released Audio Should End Shohei Ohtani Gambling Conspiracy Theories

Mizuhara is facing jail time after he pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud charges, on top of losing his job, influence and destroying his personal life. So why did he do it, risking everything to gamble on sports? 

Because he wasn't making enough money in his highly lucrative job. At least, that's the claim from a new letter Mizuhara sent to Judge John W. Holcomb asking for a lighter sentence.

"Usually, when a Japanese baseball player makes the move to the United States, they would bring over multiple staff members to take care of various tasks, such as a driver, trainer, chef, off-the-field interpreter/support member, etc. However, I was the only person Shohei brought along," Mizuhara writes in the letter.

"So naturally, I had to support him with most of the above-mentioned tasks. I drove him everywhere he needed to be, went on frequent grocery runs, ran random errands whenever he needed them, so I felt like I was on call 24/7."

Welcome to being an assistant, buddy.
 

SAN DIEGO - Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers after a walk in the sixth inning during Game Four of the Division Series against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on October 9, 2024. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

Mizuhara Blames Working Conditions For Stealing Money

The letter continues, claiming that the offseason was harder than the regular season, thanks to Ohtani's training schedule.

"The offseason was much harder both physically and mentally. Shohei would train 5-6 times per week, and I was responsible for reserving the facility, setting up and cleaning up all of the practice equipment, filming and tracking all of his exercises, being his training partner (as it was just him and I during all of the offseason training), driving him back and forth, and communicating all of this back to the Angels and his personal pitching/hitting/rehabilitation people in the United States."

"I would also be running daily errands such as grocery shopping, checking his mailbox, fixing his bicycle, accompanying him when he went back to Iwate Prefecture to visit his family, taking his dog to the vet and groomer, dropping off and picking up his dinners with peers while I waited in the car, helping to coordinate Japanese and U.S. lawyers for his marriage prenup and attending meetings, etc."

The Angels paid Mizuhara $85,000 in 2018, which increased to roughly $100,000 in 2022 and $250,000 in 2023. He received a massive jump to $500,000 when joining the Dodgers in 2024, and a supplemental salary from Ohtani as well. 

"I felt like I was getting severely underpaid, but I was afraid to speak up for myself, as I was on a one-year contract every year, and I didn’t want to upset them and risk being fired," Mizuhara said.

He blamed "extra expenses" for starting his gambling issue, including having to pay higher rent to live near Ohtani.

"All of these extra expenses were taking a huge toll on me, and I was living paycheck to paycheck. There were months when I had to borrow money from family and friends to make ends meet."

He claims to the judge that he believed gambling could be a way to make more money to cover expenses.

"Before I knew it, my gambling debt had grown so much that I couldn’t find any way to pay it off but by using Shohei’s money," Mizuhara said. "I felt terribly guilty about putting my hands on his money, but at the time, it seemed like the only solution."

Being an assistant to a wealthy, busy celebrity is an extremely difficult job, and it's easy to empathize with an on-call role that feels endless. But many people in all walks of life work these types of jobs and don't steal millions of dollars from their boss. Mizuhara also almost certainly received per diems and stipends for food while traveling with the Angels, Ohtani gave him a Porsche Cayenne, and at one point gave him $60,000 to pay for dental work. 

Except Mizuhara pocketed the $60,000 and charged the dental work on Ohtani's card anyway, essentially double-dipping for $120k. 

None of that is acceptable or excusable. But that's what he did. It's especially bad considering that had he simply not lied and stolen money, he'd now be making $500k per year with the Dodgers. And have gotten a World Series ring he could have sold to finance his gambling problem.