Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara pleaded guilty to federal charges on Tuesday, admitting that he stole millions from the Los Angeles Dodgers star player to pay off illegal gambling debts.
Mizuhara, who has been the subject of a massive investigation that began in March, previously pleaded not guilty in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom during a procedural matter in early May. However, the Justice Department did previously announced that Mizuhara had agreed to a settlement.
He appeared in federal court to plead guilty to one count of bank fraud and filing a false tax return. The bank fraud charge carries a maximum penalty of up to 30 years in prison, while the tax charge carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison. He will be sentenced on October 25.
Prosecutors said Mizuhara, 39, stole nearly $17 million from Ohtani to pay for his gambling.
At a press conference Tuesday after the guilty plea, Martin Estrada, the U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, told reporters that Mizuhara could receive a lesser sentence, but that he will “probably” end up behind bars and risk deportation . Mizuhara is not a US citizen.
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The federal prosecutor said Mizuhara “took advantage of his friend, the person who gave him a chance.”
Estrada said the Dodgers star’s former interpreter “victimized Mr. Ohtani so much that he wouldn’t even pay for dental bills.”
“He stole money from Mr. Ohtani to pay for his own dental bills,” Estrada said.
“Now that the investigation has concluded, this full guilty plea has provided important closure for me and my family,” Ohtani said in a statement obtained by CBS News. “I would like to sincerely thank the authorities for completing their thorough and effective investigation and uncovering all evidence so quickly.”
“It’s time to close this chapter, move on and continue to focus on playing and winning ball games,” Ohtani added.
Major League Baseball also released a statement saying its own investigation into the “matter has been closed.”
“Based on the thoroughness of the federal investigation that has been made public, the information that MLB has gathered and the criminal proceedings that have been resolved without contestation, MLB considers Shohei Ohtani to be a victim of fraud and this case is closed,” the statement from the MLB.
The Dodgers released a statement following Mizuhara’s guilty plea, saying the team was focused on moving forward with the resolution of the case.
“With today’s plea in the criminal case against Ippei Mizuhara and the conclusion of both the federal and MLB investigations, the Dodgers are pleased that Shoehi and the team can put this entire matter behind them and move forward in the pursuit of a World Series title.”
Mizuhara was charged with ‘grand larceny’ by attorneys representing Ohtani the day after Major League Baseball’s 2024 season kicked off. He was fired by the Dodgers shortly thereafter, and the complicated story began to unravel.
“According to the complaint, Mr. Mizuhara stole this money largely to finance his voracious appetite for illegal sports betting,” Estrada said at the time. were announced in April.
In the weeks since, MLB, the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles and the Federal Bureau of Investigation started their own investigationwith it gradually being revealed that Mizuhara allegedly took nearly $17 million from Ohtani to pay an illegal Orange County bookmaker.
Ohtani has been cleared of any involvement by federal prosecutors.
“Mr. Ohtani is considered a victim in this case,” Estrada told reporters on Tuesday. “It is clear from the evidence that he did not benefit from this. He has in fact suffered significant harm as a result.”
Mizuhara helped Ohtani, who speaks primarily Japanese, set up bank accounts when he moved to the U.S. after signing with the Los Angeles Angels in 2017. Estrada said one of these bank accounts, set up in Arizona, became the source of wire transfers to the bookmaker.
“I am very saddened and shocked that someone I trusted did this,” the Japanese baseball star said said through a new interpreter after the news broke. “Ippei stole money from my account and told lies. I never bet on sports and have never sent money to the bookmaker.”
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Ohtani and Mizuhara ended their six-year run in Anaheim when the two-way player signed a contract monstrous 10-year, $700 million deal with the Dodgers after the 2023 season came to an end.
Mizuhara was also accused of filing a false tax return in 2022, when he claimed to earn $136,865. Instead, according to prosecutors, he made more than $4.1 million from his bank fraud.
In addition to gambling payments, prosecutors also allege Mizuhara used more than $60,000 to finance personal dental work and purchase $325,000 worth of baseball cards.
According to Estrada, prosecutors first came across Mizuhara’s crimes while conducting a broader open federal investigation into illegal sports betting.
He said no evidence has been found that there was any sports betting involving baseball in Mizuhara’s case.
Illegal gambling has become an unforeseen chapter of the 2024 MLB season, with former Angels infielder David Fletcher caught up in an investigation into place bets with the same bookmaker end of May.
On Monday, league officials also announced San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano has been banned for life of the MLB for betting on baseball games last season while he was with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
