Ippei Mizuhara to Plead Guilty to Stealing From Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani Tuesday: Reports
Ippei Mizuhara’s legal saga takes its penultimate step toward a conclusion Tuesday, when the former interpreter to Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani is expected to plead guilty in federal court, according to multiple reports.
Mizuhara, 39, reached a deal to plead guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of filing a false income tax return, according to the Justice Department. According to reports Tuesday, Mizuhara will plead guilty at a later date.
Mizuhara stole nearly $17 million from Ohtani to pay off his own sports gambling bets to an alleged illegal bookmaker, Matthew Bowyer. According to the Justice Department, Mizuhara made approximately 19,000 wagers between Nov. 2021 and March 2024, ranging from $10 to $160,000 per bet. The money was sent to the bookmaker by wire transfers — reportedly received by a reality TV star.
Mizuhara started working for Ohtani when he came to Major League Baseball in 2018 with the Los Angeles Angels as his de facto manager and interpreter. However, the pair has known each other since 2013, as Mizuhara worked for the Nippon-Ham Fighters while Ohtani played professionally in Japan.
The Dodgers fired Mizuhara on March 21 following reports of at least a $4.5 million transfer from Ohtani’s bank account to the bookmaker. Mizuhara faced a bank fraud charge on April 11 after federal authorities released a 37-page complaint exposing how Mizuhara gained access to Ohtani’s accounts.
Ohtani has portrayed himself as the victim in the case, which the Justice Department’s report corroborated. MLB also launched an investigation into the saga and has yet to release any of its conclusions.
The final steps in Mizuhara’s legal saga could clear the way for MLB to close the books on any specter of guilt around Ohtani once and for all.
Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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