Ippei Mizuhara, Shohei Ohtani’s Former Interpreter, Pleads Not Guilty in Court
Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter to Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, pleaded not guilty to bank and tax fraud charges on Tuesday morning, a procedural step preceding a plea deal. He is still expected to plead guilty at a later date.
Mizuhara stole nearly $17 million from Ohtani to pay off his own sports gambling bets to an alleged illegal bookmaker, Matthew Bowyer. According to a federal complaint, Mizuhara made approximately 19,000 wagers between Dec. 2021 and Jan. 2024, ranging from $10 to $160,000 per bet. The money was sent to the bookmaker by wire transfers — reportedly received by a reality TV star.
Mizuhara started working for Ohtani when he came to Major League Baseball in 2018 with the Los Angeles Angels as his de facto manager and interpreter. However, the pair has known each other since 2013, as Mizuhara worked for the Nippon-Ham Fighters while Ohtani played professionally in Japan.
The Dodgers fired Mizuhara on March 21 following reports of at least a $4.5 million transfer from Ohtani’s bank account to the bookmaker. Mizuhara faced a bank fraud charge on April 11 after federal authorities released a 37-page complaint exposing how Mizuhara gained access to Ohtani’s accounts.
Investigations have found no evidence that Ohtani was involved with or aware of Mizuhara’s gambling.
Initially, a pretrial hearing date was scheduled for June 14 a trial date set for July 3. However, no trial is expected.
Instead, the final sentencing decision in the hands of Judge John Holcomb. The bank fraud charge holds a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison. The false tax return charge carries a maximum sentence of three years. As part of his plea agreement, Mizuhara is likely to face deportation to his native country of Japan. Additionally, he will have to pay restitution of nearly $17 million to Ohtani, along with $1 million to the IRS.
Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Have you subscribed to our YouTube Channel yet? Subscribe and hit that notification bell to stay up to date on all the latest Dodgers news, rumors, interviews, live streams, and more!
