SANTA ANA, Calif. — An individual who previously served as an interpreter for renowned baseball player Shohei Ohtani is awaiting sentencing for his involvement in bank and tax fraud, having embezzled nearly $17 million from Ohtani’s bank account. Originally tasked with facilitating communication between the Japanese star and his English-speaking teammates, Ippei Mizuhara instead took advantage of the situation to exploit Ohtani’s trust and access to his funds.
Mizuhara pleaded guilty to federal charges last year, after it was discovered that he had unlawfully withdrawn money from Ohtani’s account to fund gambling activities and settle debts, prompting significant media attention across the globe. His sentencing is set to take place in a federal court located in Santa Ana on Thursday.
The case has raised several pertinent questions regarding the extent of Mizuhara’s actions. Specifically, he admitted to pilfering close to $17 million from Ohtani’s account, which he used primarily to repay significant betting debts incurred from gambling on various sports, including international soccer, the NBA, the NFL, and college football—though he notably refrained from betting on baseball itself. Additionally, Mizuhara spent part of the stolen funds on a $325,000 collection of baseball cards and his dental expenses.
Mizuhara’s fraudulent activities reportedly began in 2021 when he accessed Ohtani’s bank account by altering its security settings, allowing him to impersonate the player and authorize wire transfers. He initially helped Ohtani set up the account back in 2018 when the athlete transitioned from Japan to play for the Los Angeles Angels. As debts from gambling accumulated in 2021, Mizuhara remembered the account’s password, which enabled him to repeatedly siphon off money to cover his financial obligations and other personal expenditures, continuing this behavior through March 2024.
To further conceal his actions, Mizuhara misled Ohtani’s sports agent and financial advisors by claiming that Ohtani preferred they not monitor the account, fearing they would uncover the theft taking place.
It has been clarified by prosecutors that Ohtani is not implicated in any wrongdoing related to this scheme. There is no evidence suggesting that he was aware of Mizuhara’s gambling activities or the unlawful withdrawals from his account. The regulations set forth by Major League Baseball expressly forbid players and team personnel from gambling with illegal bookmakers, and such activities are also prohibited under California law.
