Ippei Mizuhara, the longtime interpreter for baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani, has been ordered to report to federal prison by May 12, according to recently unsealed court documents.
The 40-year-old, who was once a trusted figure in Ohtani’s inner circle, will serve a 57-month sentence for stealing millions from the MLB MVP to fund his gambling habit.
Originally due to begin his sentence in March, Mizuhara’s legal team requested a delay, but the reasons remain confidential.
A breach of trust
The full extent of what Mizuhara did took back both fans and the baseball community with nearly $17 million taken from Ohtani’s bank account between 2021 and 2024.
Court records revealed he impersonated Ohtani on multiple occasions, even making phone calls to authorize wire transfers under the athlete’s name.
At one point, he attempted to transfer a whopping $200,000, claiming it was for a car loan.
In terms of what the money was used for, over 19,000 illegal bets were placed — some as high as $160,000 — amassing more than $182 million in total wagers and accruing $40 million in gambling debt.
U.S. District Judge John W. Holcomb called the stolen amount “shockingly high” and ordered Mizuhara to pay $16 million in restitution to Ohtani and another $1.1 million to the IRS.
His defense team tried to get the sentence down to 18 months, citing his long struggle with gambling addiction, but the court handed down the full term instead.
Who was the bookmaker behind the bets?
A lot of Mizuhara’s betting was tied to Matthew Bowyer, an illegal bookmaker whose name came up during a separate scandal involving Resorts World Las Vegas.
Bowyer, reportedly running a shadow gambling ring with more than 700 clients, was allowed to continue gambling as a high-roller at the casino despite repeated red flags.
The Nevada Gaming Control Board fined Resorts World $10.5 million in one of the largest penalties ever imposed on a casino in the state.
Ohtani is focused on the future
As for Ohtani, Major League Baseball conducted its own investigation and cleared him of any wrongdoing, describing him as a “victim of fraud.”
However, Mizuhara was dismissed by the Los Angeles Dodgers in March 2024, shortly after the allegations surfaced.
In a statement released following the conclusion of the federal case, Ohtani thanked law enforcement for their thorough investigation and acknowledged the emotional toll the situation had taken.
“This full admission of guilt has brought important closure to me and my family,” Ohtani said. “Now it’s time to move on and focus on baseball.”
