Ippei Mizuhara, who served as a bridge between Shohei Ohtani and his English-speaking counterparts, was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison for bank and tax fraud. Mizuhara exploited his position to steal nearly $17 million from Ohtani's bank account, using the funds for gambling, personal expenses, and even baseball cards.
The former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani was sentenced Thursday to four years and nine months in prison and three years' supervised release for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly $17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s bank account.Ippei Mizuhara, who was supposed to bridge the gap between the Japanese athlete and his English-speaking teammates and fans, was sentenced in federal court in Santa Ana, California, after pleading guilty last year.
I want to say I am truly sorry for violating his trust in me.”Mizuhara accessed Ohtani’s account beginning in 2021 and changed its security protocols so he could impersonate him to authorize wire transfers. By 2024, Mizuhara had used the money to buy about $325,000 worth of baseball cards at online resellers and had bet tens of millions of dollars that weren’t his to wager on international soccer, the NBA, the NFL and college football.
SHOHEI OHTANI BASEBALL FRAUD GAMBLING SENTENCE
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Ohtani's Former Interpreter Sentenced to 57 Months for $17 Million TheftIppei Mizuhara, former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, was sentenced to prison for stealing nearly $17 million from Ohtani's bank account to pay off gambling debts. Prosecutors argued that Mizuhara's actions went beyond gambling and were motivated by greed, citing his use of stolen funds for personal expenses and failure to repay Ohtani when he won money from his bookie. Mizuhara pleaded guilty to bank fraud and subscribing to a false tax return. Ohtani's reputation and goodwill were also significantly harmed by Mizuhara's actions.
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Shohei Ohtani's Former Interpreter Faces Prison for $17 Million FraudIppei Mizuhara, the former interpreter for Japanese baseball star Shohei Ohtani, is scheduled to be sentenced for bank and tax fraud after stealing nearly $17 million from Ohtani's bank account. Prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence of four years and nine months for Mizuhara, who exploited the language barrier to isolate Ohtani and profit from his proximity.
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Ex-Interpreter Impersonated Shohei Ohtani to Steal $17 MillionFormer interpreter Ippei Mizuhara impersonated baseball star Shohei Ohtani in a call with a bank while attempting to transfer $200,000 for a car loan. Prosecutors are using the recording to support their request for a nearly five-year sentence for Mizuhara, who pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud.
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