SANTA ANA, Calif. — On Thursday, a former interpreter for major league baseball player Shohei Ohtani received a sentence of four years and nine months in prison for embezzling nearly $17 million from the athlete. The money was stolen from Ohtani’s bank account to cover Mizuhara’s extensive gambling debts. Additionally, the court mandated Mizuhara to pay approximately $18 million in restitution, with almost $17 million designated for Ohtani and the remaining amount owed to the Internal Revenue Service. Mizuhara was also placed on three years of supervised release following his prison term and must report to authorities by March 24 to commence his sentence.
Mizuhara, who was initially brought on to assist with communication between Ohtani and others, manipulated the situation to exploit the language barrier to his advantage. He isolated Ohtani from his teammates and fans while profiting from their relationship. His actions sparked significant interest and coverage from international media outlets.
The theft was not a small one; Mizuhara confessed to misappropriating nearly $17 million from Ohtani’s accounts to pay back debts incurred from his extensive gambling activities with illicit bookmakers. Authorities reported that Mizuhara had wagered large sums on international soccer, the NBA, NFL, and college football, excluding baseball from his betting portfolio. Besides gambling debts, Mizuhara utilized some of the stolen funds for personal expenses, including $325,000 worth of baseball cards and dental procedures.
Mizuhara’s misconduct reportedly began in 2021 when he accessed Ohtani’s bank account. He altered the account’s security measures, allowing him to impersonate the star player to authorize wire transfers. Mizuhara had helped Ohtani establish the account back in 2018 when the player transitioned from Japan to the United States to join the Los Angeles Angels. As his gambling debts mounted in 2021, Mizuhara reverted to the password he memorized to siphon money from Ohtani’s account on several occasions up until March 2024. To further cover his tracks, Mizuhara misled Ohtani’s sports agent and financial advisors into believing Ohtani wished to limit access to his account, fearing they would uncover the embezzlement.
Prosecutors have consistently maintained that Ohtani was a victim in this situation, with no evidence linking the player to Mizuhara’s illegal gambling activities. Major League Baseball has strict regulations prohibiting players and team personnel from engaging in betting with illegal or offshore bookmakers, especially given that sports gambling is prohibited in California.
