Former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara was charged for allegedly tapping into the funds of Major League Baseball (MLB) superstar Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers) to pay off his gambling debts. Mizuhara admitted to the charges in court. Ohtani expressed relief by saying this is an “important closure.”
According to reports from AP and AFP on the 4th (local time), Mizuhara admitted to all charges filed by the prosecution at a criminal trial held at the Federal Court in Santa Ana, California.
Mizuhara stated in court, “I worked for Ohtani, had access to his bank account, and fell into a large gambling debt.” He confessed, “I transferred money from his bank account.”
He did not make any further statements, and his attorney also refused to comment outside of court.
In April, Mizuhara was indicted for lying to the bank to approve the transfer of approximately $17 million from Ohtani’s bank account to a gambler’s account to pay off his sports gambling debt.
He also faces charges for omitting an additional income of $4.1 million when reporting his 2022 income to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Last month, Mizuhara agreed to a plea bargain with the prosecution to return approximately $17 million to Ohtani and pay $1,149,400 in taxes, interest, and penalties to the IRS. However, this amount can change before the court’s sentence.
The maximum sentence is 30 years in prison for bank fraud and 3 years for false income reporting.
The sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 25.
After Mizuhara’s trial, Ohtani stated in a released statement, “The investigation is now complete, and such a full admission of guilt has brought important closure to me and my family.” He shared, “I express my sincere gratitude to authorities for concluding a thorough and effective investigation very quickly and uncovering all the evidence.” He also thanked his team, family, and the Dodgers organization for their “endless support throughout the process.” He added, “Now is the time to close this chapter and move forward, focusing on the baseball games and victories ahead.”