Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, has been sentenced to nearly five years in prison after stealing approximately $17 million from the baseball icon to pay off gambling debts.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge John W. Holcomb sentenced Mizuhara, 40, to a 57-month prison term and three years of supervised release. Additionally, he was ordered to pay restitution of nearly $17 million to Ohtani and $1.1 million to the IRS.
“I want to say I am truly sorry to Mr. Ohtani for what I have done,” Mizuhara expressed in court.
Mizuhara has been instructed to surrender by March 24 to begin serving his sentence. His attorney, Michael G. Freedman, indicated that Mizuhara, a Japanese citizen, will likely face deportation following the completion of his prison term.
Judge Holcomb addressed the severity of the crime, stating, “The magnitude of the theft — $17 million — in my view, is shockingly high.” He further emphasized that the amount of money stolen exceeded what most individuals would earn in a lifetime.
“I hope that Mr. Mizuhara will be able to repay that sum,” Holcomb added. “That remains to be seen.”
Ohtani’s legal team and spokesperson have yet to comment on the case.
The Los Angeles Dodgers terminated Mizuhara’s employment in March following an ESPN investigation that uncovered millions of dollars in wire transfers sent from Ohtani’s account to an illegal bookmaker. Mizuhara pleaded guilty to bank fraud and filing a false tax return in June, admitting to placing approximately 19,000 bets with the bookmaker over two years, accumulating over $40 million in gambling debt.
“Mr. Mizuhara had a unique position of trust that gave him power, brought him fame, and paid him well,” said Joseph T. McNally, acting United States Attorney for the Central District of California. “Unfortunately, he exploited this dream job to steal millions of dollars from his friend and confidant. This is a sad tale of an American success story gone wrong — so wrong that Mr. Mizuhara will be spending years inside a prison cell.”
After the hearing, McNally reiterated that Ohtani is the victim in this case.
Prosecutors had recommended the 57-month sentence, while Mizuhara’s defense team requested 18 months, citing a long-standing gambling addiction. However, prosecutors countered, stating that there was “only minimal evidence” of Mizuhara’s gambling habits prior to the thefts.
Freedman acknowledged the severity of Mizuhara’s addiction, describing it as “drastic” and noting that astronomical sums were involved. He also suggested that the credit extended to Mizuhara by the bookmaker, knowing he worked for Ohtani, had exacerbated the situation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeff Mitchell detailed the extent of the theft, revealing that when Mizuhara began stealing from Ohtani in 2021, Ohtani was earning $250,000 annually with the Los Angeles Angels. “Mizuhara stole almost half of everything Ohtani made with the Angels,” Mitchell stated.
